The Phoenix Rises
by SoulsSwords
Summary: The Ling-Sheng Su temple is a village of secret arts of the sword and staff. One sacred staff in particular, the Kali Yuga, is full of benevolent powers, but dark secrets. When it's time to choose a new heir to the holy staff, it goes to Xiba, a courageous and headstrong boy who wants nothing to do with the fighting world. Until a few infamous villains return to the village...
1. Trinity Treaures

**Souls_&_Swords: Hey guys! =) Sorry for suddenly updating and making stories on you, but this is something I'd like to work on while I continue the "Might of One" series =) I'm sorry again for annoying you guys while the school year is on. But your reviews and subscribing really keeps me going I've been struggling with stress lately and writing is my coping technique I guess. I really hope you enjoy this as much as you've been enjoying my series. Thanks for being patient. =)**

High in the mountains and beyond the clouds lied the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. This was no ordinary temple, where men came to learn martial arts, nor where women simply cooked and cleaned for their children and husbands. Rather, it was a mysterious and devastatingly secret temple within China's mainland. Male and Female Washus alike came to learn the secret arts of the Ling-Sheng Su Style Rod, or the Ling-Sheng Su arts of the Sword.

The training there was rigorous, and only would one be considered a worthy heir of the three sacred treasures if their master monk, Kong Xiuqiang, found them to be so. The three sacred treasures of the temple were holy weapons, capable of only purifying and expelling evil, if one is strong enough to comprehend and maintain their stability with such power in their hands.

When a man was handed the Krita-Yuga, the pulsating force of power was too much for him, and despite he proved himself worthy before, murdered everyone around him in a frenzy. Perhaps it was because the Krita-Yuga was in the hands of a greedy swordsman, who fought only to seek the power for his own ego, not to protect his people. During the horrific raid, not only was the man forcefully executed, but the holy weapon was shattered into pieces. The head monk was not only outraged, but the temple's head mentor, Edge Master, then realized that they must be more cautious and make more rigorous training programs in order to make sure the trainees are nothing less than noble and pure-hearted.

The Dvapara-Yuga was given to a woman named Xianglian, a spirited swordswoman who would give her life for the temple's sake. This event would occur sooner than she thought, as the temple was discovered by a band of, what they only called them not daring to say their demonic name, _rogues_. Xianglian was murdered; the Dvapara-Yuga was then stolen by these thieves.

However, the last of these trinity treasures had not and still has yet to be defeated. The temple's sacred cow, as no one was allowed to touch or interfere with its being. The holy staff of the Ling-Sheng Su temple, the Kali Yuga.

When these rogues attacked, the wielder of the sacred staff fought boldly in honor of his fallen comrades and slain lover. Indeed, Xianglian's husband was the holder of the Kali Yuga. His name was Kilik. However, no good deed goes unpunished. It was that night when the brave man discovered the Kali Yuga's true power.

He stood over the men, they cowered as they tried to inch away in fear, "It doesn't matter what you do! They've ran away with your precious treasure!"

The warrior only stood over the man, the town was now empty and silent, all had evacuated or hidden in their homes. He held the rod to his neck, Kilik pondered on smashing his head in or not, taking away the woman he loved. That's when the rod started to vibrate in his hands, causing him to shudder back. The rogue below him was bemused, the Kali Yuga emitted some sort of light, as beams and strokes of flaming wind streaks busted into the long staff, causing Kilik to drop the weapon.

The man had ran away, but Kilik was baffled, what had just occurred was something never spoken of the sacred rod. But the town was safe again; they now knew to take greater efforts in protecting them and keeping the temple hidden. The man, bruised and tired, returned to his small, safe home at the foot of one of the mountains.

Kilik slid the door open and then back closed; his home was dimly lit by the fire place. In the main room, where books and leisure furniture were kept. He peered around the corner to see Edge Master, whom had trained him since he was a teenager sat on the couch. "Is he alright?" were the first words Kilik said to him.

Edge Master had his arms folded; in them was a bundled blanket with an infant cuddled up to the elder's chest. He stood up and handed the child to Kilik, gently. He looked at his sleeping son. How was he supposed to tell him what happened to his mother? He wasn't even a year old yet. "Xiba…" he whispered in relief, not wanting these events to disturb the baby's slumber.

"Kilik." Edge Master put his hand on the father's shoulder, understanding his pain. But this was something he was accustomed to, death. However, there were questions that needed to be answered,

"Master, when I was in battle, the Kali Yuga…It-" he was interrupted by the fumbling in his arms. The infant boy Xiba blinked his brown eyes, bubbling. The baby rubbed his eyes, having obtained his motor skills. He recognized the man holding him and began to gurgle happily, holding out his arms. Kilik almost instinctively smiled at the adorable giggling of his son, forgetting of his troubles.

"Kilik," the master of blades interrupted him, he had to know… "I thought Kong Xiuqiang informed you of this." The man widened his eyes, holding the baby tighter,

"Informed me of what?"

There was a brief pause of silence; the baby had started to wine. Xiba was for some reason attuned to any type of negativity around him. It was as if he was concerned for his family's well being. Edge Master sighed, "The Kali Yuga is a benevolent being…but also malevolent depending on where its energy comes from."

Kilik raised a confused brow, his arms felt heavier as he used a knee to readjust the infant back in his arms. "What does that even mean?"

"The Kali Yuga is capable of absorbing pure spiritual energy, as well as evil…if a corrupted soul were to handle the spirit staff, whatever evil energy it absorbs will take over its host."

Kilik gasped, "But…Master, what happened earlier…" he looked over at the staff leaned against the wall, "I think I…" he didn't know how to admit his error, nor his fear, but Edge Master chuckled and nodded his head,

"Don't worry Kilik, I think now I understand why the master chose you." He looked back at the old man, once again confused, "You're pure spirited and only fight for love…only if your soul were to become corrupt would the Kali Yuga take you over…because of this, you will be protected in battle by the staff."

The staff could protect him in battle? Of course! Using its energy to his benefit rather than his demise. "So, master." He looked down at his child, who was sucking on his small, soft hand, Kilik gently slid it out of his mouth, though the child was teething, "As long as its wielder is pure and good spirited, the staff will protect it?"

"That is correct." The old warrior confirmed with a small, he walked over and ruffled whatever hair was forming on Xiba's head, "And whoever the next wielder is, they must be like you…in case the rogues return." He noted, just before exiting the home. The house was now quiet and empty, Kilik looked into the child's eyes, and he looked back into his.

"Xiba…you will be our salvation." He swore. The infant, not understanding only smiled at his father's words.

_16 years later…_

** Ling-Sheng Su Temple, Shaanxi, Ming Dynasty (China) 1608 A.D.**

The renewed, stone temples and training dojos were full of life as the school season of the Secret Arts of the Ling-Sheng Su were in heavy practice this semester. The boys and girls across the village gathered their belongings, grabbed their assigned weapon and headed to the training arena. Since a young age, they trained to see who the next wielder of the remaining sacred treasure would be. Whoever was passed down the Kali Yuga, was the savior of the temple.

All of the teenage boys would claim it was their destiny to be the next spiritual heir, whilst the girls would just giggle at their cockiness. They preferred their sword style to rod style. This morning would be the last session of training before the final exam. It was an important day to be at the arena. The students stood properly, positioning themselves upright, awaiting their orders. Their teacher, a simple monk walked out into the blistering heat of the arena, with an ink pen and a notepad, "Sit!" He demanded, they all sat on their knees, right where they were assigned.

"Wang Fe?"

"Present!" A cheerful girl called, lifting her jagged blade. The bald monk nodded, marking next to her initials,

"Chen Da?"

"Yup!" Another called, lifting his sword, Qing-Long.

"Ling Na?" He continued down the list. At the base of the training mountain, in a subtle home, a boy with spiky, short, crimson hair lied face down on his pillow. He was fairly muscular, as he'd been trained by Edge Master and his own father since he was capable of picking up a stick. He also kept to himself. He didn't exactly like interacting or being around people, unless he had to.

The 'wild monkey boy' was his nickname, as his hobbies included climbing trees as a child. "Xiba?" a voice chimed into the room, he didn't move from his spot.

"Xiba!" the voice said louder. Xiba lifted his head from his pillow, not ready for that sudden awakening,

"Yeah?" he moaned, wiping the sleep dust from the corners of his eyes. His father Kilik stood at the edge of his room,

"What are you doing?" he didn't seem very happy, the boy was confused though, he raised a brow,

"Uh…I _think _I was sleeping." Was he mumbling in his sleep or something? He didn't think anything was out of the ordinary,

"Do you know what today is?"

He'd just woken up and he wanted him to think? He sat up, he didn't have a shirt on; it was simply too hot for that underneath his thick sheets. Let alone, he didn't even use the sheets the night before. "Um…let's see…" he still had to get his brain functioning. He rubbed his head, ruffling his wild hair, "Thursday, right?"

Kilik nodded, smirking. He was waiting for it to hit him. Xiba didn't get it, his tired eyes gleamed brightly in the sunlight, "Thursday…" he mumbled to himself yet again. Then he remembered, the last training session, "Oh my god! It's Thursday!" He screeched suddenly reinvigorated and rushing into the bathroom to brush his teeth. It wasn't even a minute later that he whipped back into his room to change into day clothes, getting a black, open shirt and some yellow trousers, "Why didn't you wake me up?" he demanded, now in a rush.

"I did." Kilik joked, having no worried about his son's progress. While no one would admit it, Xiba was the best student there. While Xiba didn't at all like the training in any way, he knew what he was doing.

Xiba was irritated by his father's nonchalance, "How are you so calm? Normally you'd kill me over this!" he grabbed his training rod, Three Karmas from the side of his bed,

"Because you've got nothing to worry about." He optimistically asserted. The wild boy was too worried to care. Before he could dash across the village to the arena, he needed something else with his attire. He put on a gold anklet and a small pendant necklace. They belonged to his mother before she died in battle. He kept her jewelry. Xiba didn't know why, but they comforted him, despite not knowing his mother at all.

Kilik frowned slightly upon seeing Xiba add those two things. The boy noticed, wrapping a fur, tiger pelted coat around his waist; it often got colder in the afternoons, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shook his head, smiling. Xiba didn't even bother putting shoes on, since they had them take them off anyway when training. He didn't care if it was indoors or outdoors, he just wanted to hurry and get over there.

"See ya later!" he yelled, frantically running out the door.

"Feng Dao?"

"Here." A boy yelled.

"Xiba?"

There was no response at the arena as a wild boy blitzed across the temples, heading for the long stare case up to the training temple, he bumped into a lady, startling the two, "My bad!" he exclaimed before continuing up the debilitating path.

"Xiba?" the monk said again, knowing that the students often didn't pay attention in the mornings. The monkey boy rushed through the doors, "Xiba?" the monk began to sound irritated when a loud voice rose in,

"I'M HERE!" he cried, getting the entire classes attention. Breathless, he staggered over to his position next to Feng Dao, "I'm here. Xiba is here!" he plumped down onto his knees, breathing heavily to catch it.

He was going to mark him tardy…he knew it, he saw the look in the monk's eyes. Xiba began to frown in worry; "Speaking without permission…" he marked next to his name. Oh yeah…that was a rule.

Xiba sighed, just his luck he thought.


	2. Unexpected News

The painfully hot summer day shone onto the warriors, their bald, old mentor paced back and forth in front of the group, deciding what the lesson would be today. Xiba couldn't muster a grin, let alone be enthusiastic about this at all. He couldn't stand the people around him; especially his fellow students. They were so hidebound and narrow-minded, if shallow and self-absorbed. All the boys cared about was getting the Kali Yuga.

The girls of course were just as clueless, at least the wild boy thought, admiring the boys and cooing and fainting whenever they flexed or showed off with arrogance. They would remind them of the ribald tales of the Rogues; saying that if they were to return, they would use all of the staff's power to protect the temple. Xiba would just roll his eyes. The monk looked at him in the eyes, startling him a bit,

"Men in the first three rows rise! Shirts off!" Xiba was in the first row, damn it. He unwrapped his fur coat from his waist and tossed his black shirt aside, as the others did with their tops. The last thing they needed were their clothes sticking to them from sweat. Some of the girls giggled and blushed; the boys weren't hard to look at. If anything, it was immensely pleasurable.

One girl in particular, Lea, with her dark brown ponytail beamed red; admiring the crimson haired boy now standing among them. "Demonstrations!"

The man would shout a command, and the boys would swing their rods according to which command he was giving them. They all tensed, squeezing their staffs. "Roundhouse Bo!" The boys, all grunting with force, whipped the rod in their opposite direction,

"Mountain Carve!" he yelled with more harshness in his tone, trying to make sure they were focusing, they whipped their rods to and fro, "Kong's Water Offering!" the boys were also taught the Kong Rod Style, it only became a required course a few years ago, some were still fairly new to it aside from the Ling-Sheng Su Style Rod. The boys stepped forward thrice, twirling their rod and ending with a mid kick.

"Remembrance!"

Remembrance was a special stance; the men froze with heavy grunts, holding their position with their weapons. It was much more difficult than it looked, requiring much back and arm strength. "Quaking Remembrance!"

Getting out of position, they slammed their rods into the ground below. The monk was especially noting Xiba, who seemed to know these moves by heart…it was strange, "Rushing Bo!" the men pounded their rods into the ground twice, the monk then lost all attention in the other boys and only observed the red-haired monkey boy.

"Men down! Females rise!" the boys sat down, putting their shirts back on, some using to wipe the sweat, the women approached with their swords, "Muu Jian Retreat!" The females thrusted their swords forward, slowly whipping them back. It took great skill to perform that move without dislocating their elbow or pulling a muscle, "Yan Divide!"

Lea was among the group, as she made an effort to pay attention, she kept glancing at Xiba, who was wiping his forehead with his wrist. She got out of her battle stance, being careless. "Hua Carve!" She gasped, getting back into position, being no more than a second later than the other girls. The monk saw everything.

"Something bothering you, Lea?" he firmly asked, the other girls sneered at the Chinese Washu. She nodded, brushing her bangs from her face,

"Oh no! No problem at all!" She put a hand onto her fist, bowing as an apology.

"Well see that there isn't…unless you want overtime training."

She kept her head down, "Yes…I'm sorry."

After blushing from shame, the monk regained his distance from the group, "Alright, back in positions." Xiba was bobbing Three Karmas slowly up in his fist, bored. "Lian Hua Cannon!"

After a hard day's training, the class disbanded, leaving the arena. The chit chat of the final exams in two days swarmed the area as the students began down the steps to their homes. Xiba was the last to exit, not wanting to be forced to interact with anyone, "Xiba?" the monk called,

He turned around, trying to hide his irritation, "Yeah?"

"Could we talk for a second?"

Oh god, he didn't like that…he disgracefully stepped back in. Lea was but a few steps down from him, who turned around upon hearing his name, "So what's with you today?" Her good friend Su asked, "You were so…out of it today."

Lea shrugged, "I don't know…I guess I was thinking about exams…" she fibbed. Su chuckled, crossing her arms,

"Are you sure someone's not hot for someone?" Lea blushed, cringing. She hated how well people knew her, "So tell me! Who is it?" they continued down the long steps,

"Um…well…" she hesitated; she slowly untied her thick ponytail,

"Come on!" Su elbowed her, "You can tell me anything!" Lea grinned,

"Alright…it's Xiba."

Su could almost die of laughter, "You've got a crush on monkey boy?" she snickered uncontrollably, Lea frowned, "He doesn't talk to anyone!" Unaware it was because of attitudes like hers that made him want to avoid people.

"Well," She firmly replied, "I think he's pretty cute." She proudly stated. "And have you seen the way the monks look at him? He's really talented!"

Su pushed her bangs out of her eyes, "Alright, I can't argue with you there…but honestly, do you really think wild boy's gonna be the master warrior anytime soon?"

Lea paused, halting her step down the last stoop, "W-What?"

"You should really reconsider your priorities," Su emphasized, "A girl like you belongs with a real man, not someone who just gets by…"

That irritated her, Lea gained a cross expression. She began to stomp away to her home, "Hey! Was it something I said?" Su called, clueless. Lea didn't say a word as she continued down the block.

Xiba stood in front of his mentor, "Xiba…I think you should reconsider final exams on Saturday…" he crossed his arms. Xiba widened his eyes, more confused than anything,

"Wait…why?"

The monk sighed, "You're aware of whose son you are…correct?" Xiba frowned with annoyance; he knew very well that his father was the preceding wielder of the Kali Yuga. "I just don't think it'd be fair to the other students if you were to compete…you understand, right?"

To be honest, Xiba couldn't care less…yet; he was being _told _not to compete. _That _he didn't like, "Sir, just because I'm my father's son doesn't mean the others don't have as much of a chance as I do."

"You're also Edge Master's most cherished disciple…" he reminded, only trying to make himself even more justified. Xiba knew arguing would only end up in humiliation, so he stood upright, awaiting for what he had to say, "You grew up under his wing; of course you have more of a chance than the others."

"So what you're saying is; I shouldn't compete _because _I'm at the top of the class?" it didn't make any sense to him.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Xiba recoiled, muttering something under his breath. It was a weird state he was in; happy he didn't have to fight someone for some stupid staff, yet irritated that he was being rejected rather than skipping on his own accord. "Think about it…it'll give the others a fair chance." Xiba sighed, letting go of his irritation,

"Alright…I'll stay in the audience on exam day."

"Atta boy." The monk smiled, happy that he was more understanding than most. After making his way leisurely down the steps, at the foot of the mountain and entering his home, there was no greeting from his father. The wild boy slid the door closed behind him,

"Hello?" weird…normally his father was home by now from mentoring the beginning students, "Dad?" he called out into the house. Xiba shrugged, probably just running late. He decided to bathe, turning on the hot, burning water in their small wash room. After stripping and stepping into the shower, he began to scrub himself of the mosquito bites and dirt stains from training.

After a moment, he heard the sudden sound of a _BANG!_ From another room, causing him to flinch. He quickly turned the valve, halting the water. The wild boy grew tense, looking around nervously. The door was shut, and he couldn't hear anything but a faint, mumbling noise of despair. "Dad?" He called again.

After quickly drying and redressing himself, Xiba quickly stepped out to see his father, next to a now smashed coffee table. "Dad!" He yelled in a panic, rushing over to his side. Kilik seemed to be having a mental fit; he was in despair, cold despair. Yet there were no tears,

"Dad, what's wrong?" Xiba never knew what to do in these situations. He tried to lift his head so he could look at him eye to eye. Kilik would be fine…it was breaking the news to his son that would be difficult,

"Xiba…" the buildup was driving him insane, as he began to shake from fear, "Something…something awful happened."

The brown eyed boy twinged in worry, "What? What happened?" was all he could muster. He tightened his grip into his father's arm, unaware that he was beginning to dig his nails into his arm. Kilik dreaded Xiba's reaction.

"Edge Master…" he looked down, trying to avoid anymore eye contact. Xiba arched his eyebrows in worry, Kilik gathered himself, trying to be strong for his son, "Son…Edge Master…he…" he paused; Xiba couldn't make sense of it,

"He what? Is he missing?" no one in the Ling-Sheng Su temple was allowed to leave; once you were born in there, you died in there. If you weren't within the temple's gates, you were assumed missing. Kilik's eyes gleamed, looking away from Xiba yet again.

It finally hit him, standing up, "Dad…did he…?" the pitch in his voice raised slightly, Kilik then knew he had to remain calm, standing up.

"Xiba…he was old…but he lived a great…wonderful life-" he tried to hold his son, but Xiba smacked his hand away,

"No! He-HE CAN'T BE DEAD!" He panicked. Tears couldn't seem to form, which only made the agony swelling up within his chest even more painful. Why was he so attuned by this? So devastated? Kilik then tried the honest approach,

"Xiba, it'll be alright…" Xiba turned around, a bitter expression in his face, "He was only a teacher to you anyway. You were just another student to him."

"He raised me!" Xiba turned around, remembering that it was always Edge Master tucking him into bed at night when he was a child, Edge Master teaching him how to tell time and read, Edge Master cooking his meals. Kilik was the one who treated him more of a student than a son.

Kilik was now irritated, groaning, "You idolized him too much Xiba…"

"I needed _someone _to look up to!" The enraged warrior balled his hands into fists, trying to contain from punching a hole in the wall. There was a dead silence between the father and son. They angrily glared into each other's eyes. Xiba even forgotten of the news he was supposed to mention to his father. Xiba then walked past his father and slid the front door open,

"Where are you going?" he yelled, but the door was slid shut, leaving a loud slam. Xiba plodded through the grassy plains near his home. Bitterly mourning for his beloved master. As a child he even called him "grandpa". He felt guilty for not being able to cry at his absence…yet why should he? He lived a good life.

A long, joyous one at that…Xiba then recognized the familiar area where he was, looking to his left. He saw a small tree, the sunbeams striking through its branches. Xiba began to reminisce, he saw a small child there, crying softly to himself. Holding his knees. A wise, old man approached the boy,

"Xiba?" the man rubbed the child's back, he sniffled in response. "Xiba, what's wrong?" The sorrowful boy only nodded a 'no' refusing to respond. His nose was both runny and clogged, salty tears ran down his face. "You're not going to talk to me?" the bewildered man gasped, "I thought you told me everything!"

The ten year old boy finally sighed, he felt like he was swallowing a knife, "Why is everyone around here so mean?" he whined, trying to gather his emotions. Edge Master tried to turn the boy's head to him, but he quickly raised an arm, hiding his right eye. After giving him a cross look, the child lowered his arm, revealing his bright, brown eye surrounded by a black bruise, a scar ran across his cheek.

Edge Master sighed with sympathy, "Xiba…"

"These boys were picking on this girl." He began, "I tried to tell them to stop…but then they grabbed me and…one of them just kept punching me." He shuddered, remembering his struggle to try and worm out of the headlock.

Edge Master nodded, "You shouldn't get involved in other people's problems, Xiba." It was the only way he could tell him to avoid getting hurt.

"But why? The girl was crying…" he explained, finally calming down.

The elder could only smile, "You're just like your mother…" he ruffled his red, spiky hair, "Compassionate…yet strong willed." The boy halted his tears. He then heard the sound of beads jingling when the old man before him lifted a pendant, "I came to show you I found this…it belonged to your mother."

Xiba then put the long necklace on, looking at the blue, studded beads. "How come my mother's dead…grandpa?" the elder frowned, "Dad said she got sick…but, for some reason, he has this look in his eyes, like he's lying." Xiba was an expert at seeing past tricks. It was a strange skill he had.

The master of blades then stood up and up, towering over the small child, "Xiba…it does not do one well to dwell on the past." Was all he could say to the innocence below him, "But live for now, and anticipate the future." The child wiped his eyes with his forearm, smiling at the elder above him. He then got back to his usual, energetic self, excitedly grabbing his arm and the two walked back to their home…

Xiba then in present time grabbed his necklace. Staring bitterly into the endless path ahead of him.


	3. A High-Spirited Tiger

** Souls_&_Swords: To Alex Dee, (just in case you did not see it in the other update), it's not a problem! The fact that you've been making an effort to stay up to date is amazing =) Thank you so much! If it's just the password problem, try the forgot password login. Also, to everyone reading, sorry if these progress too quickly.**

It was an unusually quiet dinner that night. The father and son sat across from each other on the table not saying a word, just chewing and swallowing.It felt strange that neither one of them cried, despite their internal sorrows. This was tragic for the entire Ling-Sheng Su temple however, as Edge Master was a legendary teacher whom also had a benevolent and kind heart.

And to think, just when Xiba thought he could use his advice the most. Kilik had been occasionally glancing back and forth from his bowl to his son. His glum expression hadn't changed. After taking another slurp of noodles, he cleared his throat, getting the boy's attention.

"Xiba, there's going to be liturgy for Edge Master. It's not necessarily a funeral, but it's to pay our respects to him without the mourning."

"Oh…okay." Xiba mumbled.

"He's going to be cremated." Kilik added. Edge Master's only wish for the day he would die, was to be cremated; that way he'd feel a part of him would always be home, in the temple.

Xiba nearly choked when he heard that word however, "Cremated? Like burnt to dust?"

"It was Edge Master's dying wish. That way he would always be a part of the temple."

Xiba's brown gleaming eyes became glassy, "Ashes or not, he's always part of this temple…" He'd done so much throughout the 16 years he'd been alive; aside from being his one, if only, playmate as a child, he also gave him motivation in gaining physical strength, whereas Kilik just pushed him to train and lift. Not to mention Edge Master was the one who talked Xiba out of punching some of the other student's faces in.

"Well, his ashes will go to us Xiba." Xiba raised a confused brow, "We'll be keeping them in a vase. It'll be a momento." Now that was making him angry,

"So…wait!" Kilik didn't like his tone, "We're going to take Edge Master, one of this temple's most glorified men, burning him into ashes, and we're shoving them into some cramped vase?" Kilik didn't see the big deal; Xiba was prone to overreacting to certain things. He was sure he was just upset over the sudden loss.

"Xiba, what do you mean cramped vase?"

There was a brief pause, Xiba now had _his _dying wish, "When I die…" Kilik's eyes widened, he hated those words coming from his own flesh and blood. _When I die… _he was no longer paying attention but Xiba continued, "When I die, I want to be cremated…but I want my ashes to be scattered into the Yangtze River. Or even the wind for all I care!"

"Xiba, we're not discussing this." He picked up his chopsticks and began to lift the noodles. Xiba's pendant jingled,

"Oh yes we are!" Kilik couldn't fight back; he was the one who gave Xiba his stubbornness. "Everyone who's born in this village dies in it too, right?" That was the Ling-Sheng Su's rules; because of their secrets, no one was allowed outside of the temple's gates. If one did leave, they were assumed missing and a few choice monks would be sent to retrieve them. "So not even in death can anyone be free?" Even in the form of ashes Edge Master was still trapped in the temple. "When I die, I want my remains to be free! I may not be able to see it, but my spirit will get to see the outside world-"

"XIBA!" Kilik pounded a fist into the table, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Silence, nothing but a painful silence. A deafening silence. Xiba had flinched back from the unexpected change in his father's attitude. His arms were held up, as if building a wall of defense. Kilik had lost his temper. It was rare when it happened, but it did. And every single time it was frightening for the people who knew him well, especially his son.

It wasn't even Xiba's speech that made him snap; it was the three words he never wanted to hear escape his son's lips, _When I Die…_ it would ruin a promise he made if something awful happened to him…

The wild boy slowly loosened his body, his stomach still settling from the sudden shock. Kilik fixed his posture, recomposing, "I'm sorry…"

"I guess I'm still a little upset about Master-" Xiba didn't wait for him to finish and stood up, "Where are you going?" there wasn't an answer, but Xiba stopped before exiting the main living room,

"By the way father, I was told that I won't be allowed to compete in the final exams." Kilik had no other response; this in itself was shocking,

"Eh-What?"

"The monks said that it wouldn't be fair to the other students if I were to compete." He calmly ended just before heading to his room, in need of some desperate rest. All that hard training for nothing? Kilik was immensely convulsed. The nerve of them, assuming such things just because he once owned the Kali Yuga. Though he had no doubt Xiba was a worthy heir to the staff, the others just had to accept they weren't his equal. Unaware that his son was quite relieved that he wouldn't have that pressure or responsibility in his hands.

But if the Kali Yuga were to get into the wrong hands…Xiba is perfectly and completely pure-hearted. It was the temple's only guarantee that they would be a sanctuary for their warriors. And stand a fighting chance if _they _were ever to return.

And not only that, his son would be safe from harm. He would have to wait until exam day to show them Xiba's potential, despite they were quite aware. Kilik had to think of how they would execute this. Until then, he should probably focus on cleaning the dishes.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Xiba woke up when he felt something shake his shoulder, "Xiba." It whispered, he stirred at the noise, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was. "Xiba, wake up." His father tapped his arm and he sat up, blinking twice trying to figure out why his room was so dark. Wait…it was dark outside.

"Dad, where's the sun?" the boy groggily asked, scratching his hair, messy from the pillow.

"Not up just yet." He tossed him Three Karmas, expecting him to catch it, but rather, his irresponsive son watched as it bopped his head. "Come on, we've got some work to do!"

Now that woke him up, "What do you mean?"

"I'm getting you ready for exams tomorrow, you're gonna show them just how capable you are of getting that staff." Now was any of this really necessary?

"Dad, it's not that big of a deal~" he yawned, "It's not the end of the world if I don't get the Kali Yuga." In Kilik's eyes it certainly was, and he was aware of that.

"But still, rejecting you like that; no one has a right to tell a trained warrior what to do." He tried to make sense of it to Xiba, who was too weary to comprehend anything that came out of his mouth. "Now come on! Outside." Xiba wobbled onto his feet, he didn't care enough to put his shirt back on. He grabbed Three Karmas and walked, well, staggered out the door.

The higher and higher the sun rose in the sky, reminding Xiba of how much sleep he'd lost. That didn't matter at this point; if he were tired enough, he'd be knocked out the moment his head touched the pillow. He pretty much did the same thing he did normally when he trained with his father, just in absolute darkness. He wondered if Kilik had purposely woke him up to make it more difficult to focus. Xiba was drained from the long hours of training.

Just the blissful words of 'we're done' was god's gift as Xiba dragged his feet back into the house and into his room. He slowly and gradually crawled into his bed, not even bothering to get under the sheets and clutched onto the second pillow. Xiba used one pillow for his head, and the other to rest his hand on or tuck his arm under.

Finally, there was peace.

"Xiba!"  
"WHA-AT?" the teenager whined.

"Just remember, today's the liturgy for Edge Master. Alright?"

Xiba groaned. "Also, tomorrow morning, more training before the exams." Xiba grabbed the second pillow and held it over his head, smothering his face into the other one below him. Dreading the next day. He just wanted some sleep.

And food…food is nice.

When that day came, everyone's homes were empty, because parents, monks and students were all at the Conqueror's Coliseum, where nearly all exams and duels are held there. Around it are four giant statues, holding up large torches to light the flames for their fighters. If one were to stand completely still and silent in the middle of the coliseum, they can hear the sounds of howling wind, as if it is chanting to its warriors.

It was far from silent that day; the roar of chatter from the audience and the students waiting in the front row for their names to be called. They were being lined up on where they would sit based on rank. Xiba's seat would be empty, of course. He would be sitting up high with his father.

"This is it…" Feng Dao, whom was ranked 2nd best exclaimed to the others. Lea was ranked 3rd in the fighting charts. She was quite proud of her position, unlike Su who was in 7th. "After this, that staff's gonna be in my hands!"

Su snickered, putting her hands on her hips, "Oh please! I've seen sheep that are tougher than you!" she mocked. Lea didn't want to be part of that nonsense and she turned away, only to see Xiba and Kilik approaching. She gasped and took a step back. Where was his weapon? It didn't matter, but wouldn't he be competing today?

Just ask she thought. It's not that hard, right? Though, he's made it clear he isn't interested in being friends with anyone in his class. She stuttered, "Uh-Xiba!" she called. After he glanced around confused, he saw Lea, shocked that she'd gotten his attention.

Say something…she blushed, "Hi…" she forgot all about the question.

"Hey." He simply replied, "How's it going?" polite enough.

Lea's cheeks emanated a red hue, unbeknownst to her. "Well…bye." She turned around and walked back in the circle of students. Xiba was puzzled,

"Um…bye?" he then entered the audience, catching up to his father. But Lea was more than satisfied,

_He said hi to me…_

Xiba took his seat next to Kilik, who handed him a rod, the Jingu Staff. He'd smuggled it in, "Dad! What are you-?"

"Shh!" He handed it to Xiba, who dropped it,

"I don't want it!"

"Xiba, just wait! You'll know your que."

"I don't want that either!" he moaned.

That's when silence shrouded the area when a man in a long black cloak entered the arena, taking his seat in the front of the audience. Everyone stood and bowed, fist into palm. Xiba wasn't sure what was going on until his father lifted him by his sleeve.

Kong Xiuqiang had entered. He was their master monk, their head judge. He would decide who the next worthy holder of the Kali Yuga is. "Take your seats." Was all he said. Upon everyone being seated, he continued, "Today is a special day, come every 15 years." So Xiba was only a year old when Kilik gave up the weapon. "A new warrior, who's devoted their time, energy, and strength will realize their destiny…the Kali Yuga, must be placed in the hands of a noble warrior, of pure blood of justice."

There was a pause; Xiba observed the haunting sounds of wind during that moment of silence. His spiky short hair drifted in the breeze. "And this final test…will be my way of determining who is worthy…"

"And that test begins now!" He announced, the crowd cheered. The warriors below gathered themselves, some getting last-minute stage fright. Xiba now felt even happier that he wasn't a part of it.

The monk took his seat as if it were a throne, and by couples, would pick the trainees to duel. He observed carefully their fighting tactics and skills; how they used the Secret Ling-Sheng Su Arts. Some didn't seem to understand that when using a rod, it meant distance, and vice versa with a sword. Others were quite impressive, not choking up at all upon being under the eyes of the master.

Xiba however was bored, his stomach rumbled loudly; he was forced to skip breakfast since he woke up late and had to wash up, "Do they have anything to eat during exams?"

"That would motivate the students." Kilik joked, grinning at his son's witty comment. Xiba snorted, leaning into his palm, trying to stay awake.

"Alright, our last competitors-" another cloaked man, who happened to be Xiba's class's mentor whispered into Kong Xiuqiang's ear. The audience was befuddled by his sudden pause, "Is that so?" he muttered. "Alright, our last competitor is Feng Dao, who will be matched up against one of our mentors." The cocky boy rose to his feet triumphantly with his sword. That was when Kilik grabbed Xiba's wrist, in which he was holding the Jingu Staff and snatched him onto his feet,

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?" he called. Xiba tried to look away, embarrassed. Xiuqiang turned around, "Your last opponent is right here. He has a right to-" he let go of Xiba's arm as the monk spoke,

"Kilik, we know you're proud of your position, but your boy will get his chance one day…"

"He worked hard for this; he deserves to fight for the sacred staff. Why can't you just admit that he's the best in the class?" Xiba blushed from both anger and humiliation as he turned his head away once again, trying to hide his face from everyone around him.

"We wouldn't want a repeat of history now…would we, Kilik?"

…

Now he understood. That was the _real _reason behind rejecting Xiba. The wild boy was confused, "Huh?" Kilik froze, Kong Xiuqiang knew him all too well.

"My apologies…" he sat back down shamefully. Xiba leaned in,

"Dad, what did he mean-"

"Not now Xiba." Not ever…

"Alright! Feng Dao, assume your stance and prepare!" He got into a stance with his sword, Blue Quilin. A monk took the hood of his cloak off, revealing a sword with a jagged blade. "Battle…"

…

"Now!"

The two then broke out into a rumble. Both plodding simultaneously and clashing metal blades. For 2nd in rank, he wasn't half bad. But Kong Xiuqiang saw in his eyes, the man who was the last to hold Krita-Yuga. His arrogant motives…

After a brief fight, the monk's sword was forcefully tossed from his hands, allowing Feng Dao to pounce him, holding the sword to his throat. The crowd began to worry, Xiba's eyes widened in fear, "What is he doing?"

Kong Xiuqiang stood up, "Alright! I've seen enough!" he called, not realizing he'd just saved a man's life. Xiba was internally relieved.

Feng Dao held out his arms in triumph, "Well, how was that?"

"Your fighting skills are impressive…but your motives of fighting are not what the Kali Yuga must be used for." He said flatly and clearly.

People looked at each other confused, and then who would take the rod. The suspense was nerve wracking. "What do you mean? That was hard work I put into that." It was people like this that made Xiba happy to be a semi-loner.

"The Kali Yuga must be placed in the hands of someone of noble blood…" the elderly monk stood in his place, turning to his audience, "And that is why the sacred weapon will be passed down to…" The hearts of the students were pounding, beads of sweat and worms of anxiety filled their stomachs.

Xiuqiang didn't finish, as he heard some sort of growling behind him. Feng Dao held up his sword. Xiba panicked again. As the disappointed fighter leapt to jump the elder, Xiba grabbed the Jingu Staff and, if not with superhuman speed, rushed over in between the two.

He let out a grunt of pain as he blocked the thrust, shoving the sword back. Xiba leapt into the coliseum, the audience, including Kilik and Xiuqiang, bewildered. Feng Dao laughed, "So monkey boy wants to fight? That's cute."

"I don't want to fight." Xiba bitterly exclaimed, hatred in his eyes, "I'm just doing what any sensible person would."

"Xiba!" Kilik rose to his feet, "It's alright, just get back in your seat." He lowered the staff, yet he felt like he had a point to prove. What was the point? Edge Master did tell him_ a strong man is not a man who picks a fight, but knows when to walk away from one_.

Xiba took those words to heart…he turned around without another word and headed for the exit. But the enraged Washu wasn't finished, he charged toward the red-haired boy, in an attempt to catch him by surprise. But Xiba was quick, turning around and swinging his staff in a circle down low, a move known as "Monkey's Shadow". No one seemed to be concerned, as everyone watched intensely, even Kong Xiuqiang.

Upon enduring each other in an intense fight, the two were standing a distance away from each other, both with burning anger in their stomachs. Xiba didn't want to fight, but he had no choice. The chatter of the audience interrupted his thoughts as he looked for his dad in the crowd.

"Everyone! I have made my decision!" Kong Xiuqiang rose, clear of his mind. Kilik's heart pounded, not sure if he'd like the answer either way. "Xiba."

"You are the heir of the Kali Yuga."

Xiba's stomach flipped, confused, ecstatic, irritated all at once, yet the crowd still stood up and cheered. What had changed his mind?

It didn't matter, not now anyway…all the wild boy could think of what's next…


	4. Rebellion

**Souls_&_Swords: I made this to represent the story (It's also the cover for this fic) If the link doesn't work try the one on my profile. Enjoy this chapter! =) art/Father-and-Son-398677276**

The students were frenzied; some shocked, some amazed, some pissed off beyond all means. "Monkey boy? Seriously?"

"It's probably because of his father!"

"That cheater!"

Xiba wasn't any happier than they were. If anything, he was mortified. He was standing outside of the coliseum where the students, monks, and other villagers exited. Some gave him dirty glances, mumbling under their breath of him. He clearly knew they were talking about it. The Kali Yuga was his now? Why? What did he do? Wasn't this meant to NOT happen?

Xiba's head hurt, but then Kong Xiuqiang was the last to enter, Kilik along his side. They were talking to each other, his father with his back turned. "Um…dad?" he called, unaware that he was interrupting,

"Master, I thought this was what you wanted to avoid."

"Well I change my mind…" he eyed the wild boy, still confused, cringed when the elderly monk eyed him, "There's something different between you and your son…" he noted coldly, "Something I like…tomorrow you will both come to my dojo for his acceptance."

Kilik nodded, now dignified, yet worried for his son, "Be prepared Kilik…for tomorrow the traditional test will continue."

His heart skipped a few beats, Kilik's expression changed to that of pure terror, "No…you're gonna make him go through-" the monk had already turned away, walking slowly to his home.

The sound of the howling winds rose. The breeze made the dandelions bob back and forth near the arena. There wasn't another word out of Kilik, which worried Xiba, the wild boy stepped closer, "Dad?" he tapped his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

He turned around, smiling cheerfully, "I'm really proud of you Xiba." There was a pause, "Tomorrow we'll be going to receive the sacred staff." Xiba frowned,

"Dad, I never meant to get the staff…I don't even want it." He groaned, "I wasn't trying to prove anything."

"I know…Monk Kong Xiuqiang says that he sees real potential in you."

"Dad…" Xiba took another step closer, his mother's pendant around his neck rattling as it was jolted from his sudden move, "What does this even mean? Things aren't gonna change are they?" Kilik bit his lip, he knew his son was much younger than he when he received the Kali Yuga…but the poor thing, he had so much ahead of him,

"Oh yes…yes they are." The man nodded. The chilling wind blew as the sun slowly peaked at its highest point. Xiba rolled his eyes,

"Terrific."

"Well, we'll talk about this later, why don't we get something to eat?" Kilik smiled, walking next to his son,

"Sounds good!" the two walked into the village shops, where food stands and teas were sold. After debating on whether they should get something for home or not, the two eventually sat at the tables next to the vender counter they'd bought some lunch from and ate there,

"I'm surprised that no one else is surprised Xiba. Do they know I was the original wielder?"

Xiba swallowed, nodding, "Yeah…a lot of people think I won just because of you…" he stopped, looking into the table's wooden details with his brown eyes. He was thinking about something else, Kilik knew his son too well,

"What's wrong?"

Xiba looked back up, "I did win because of my skills…not because of you, right?"

Kilik stuttered, hesitating to finish, "It_ was _because of your skills…but it was also because of me. So a little bit of both." He made clear. Xiba swallowed another bite of his steam bun,

"Well, Kong Xiuqiang should know I eat way better than I fight." Kilik snorted,

"Eh, you're too hard on yourself. You got more things from me than just my good looks." The man joked, having finished his meal. Xiba winced,

"We look nothing alike…"

"You keep telling yourself that." Xiba was a quasi of his mother Xianglian, but he was the spinning image of his father, he just hadn't looked closely enough yet. If it wasn't for his red hair, a trait he'd gotten from Xianglian's side of the family, it'd be more obvious.

They passed by the main gaits as they headed for their home. The gates were stone and large; intended to keep anyone from getting in or out. They'd been redone ever since the Rogues invaded 16 years ago. Xiba looked up and up at them, being 5'5" didn't help in times like this where he wanted to see.

People were sure he'd reach 5'9" or even 6 foot when he grew five inches in one summer. Turns out, he was done after that summer. He was only 16, Xiba was sure he had time. "Xiba! You coming?" the wild boy shook his head, being brought back into reality, catching up to his father,

"Hey dad…did you really mean it when you said anyone born in the Ling-Sheng Su Temple is never allowed to leave?"

"Yes. It's not my rule though; I'd love to venture outside the gates myself!" Xiba had an idea,

"Does a certain someone who did something special today-"

"No, Xiba." Kilik cut him off, he stopped, a slight whine to his tone,

"Why not?"

Kilik put a hand on his broad shoulder, "Being the next heir of the Kali Yuga only makes it more dangerous for you out there. If anyone finds out the staff still exists, the Rogues may come back."

"Who are the Rogues anyway?" the teenager asked continuing down the mountain to their home,

"They were warriors who worked for a twisted power called the "Evil Seed"." He began, his memories still vivid, "its power was said to put a curse on the Ling-Sheng Su's three sacred treasures that is if anyone corrupted were to handle it, they would become possessed with evil."

"Your mother was no exception to their invasion, Xiba, as they killed her to get their hands on the Dvapara-Yuga."

Xiba raised a brow, unconsciously fiddling with Xianglian's old pendant, "So…what does this have to do with leaving the temple?"

Kilik slid open the front door, "We made up fake rumors that the Kali Yuga was destroyed. It is in fact the last remaining treasure." He turned to his son, who was intensely listening, "If it were to spread that it still existed, they most likely will come back and use the staff's power for evil."

Xiba thought about this…if he left, not saying anything about the temple or the staff, he could get away with it! It wasn't a big deal. After all, Kilik did say everyone thought it was destroyed; this was simply a test of trust! "Well, that makes sense…"

"For now let's focus on tomorrow." Kilik's lip twitched, worrying Xiba,

"Hey…are you-?" Kilik stepped in, waiting for his son to enter,

"Tomorrow you have to go through one test to see if you are truly worthy of the spirit staff." He sounded so devastated, so panicked. Xiba didn't get it,

"Is the test _that _hard?"

No response. Xiba waited but nothing was said, nor going to be said. Xiba sighed "Humph…" may as well go ahead and ask, "So I guess this means more training?" Kilik nodded a no, not even looking back at him,

"Really?"

"It is required there be no training between the exams and the final test." Xiba could cheer at this moment but he was feeling mischievous, he had to keep low. Just one tiny adventure wouldn't hurt anyone,

"So…in that case is it alright if I…" think monkey boy! Think! "If I get some new books from the library?" fair enough, Kilik turned around suspiciously,

"Didn't you just buy some new ones?"

"Oh, um…it turns out I read those already." He sheepishly fibbed. Xiba had nothing to do when he wasn't training. He always read; Xiba liked historical or geographic books. His favorite currently was on the history of Julius Caesar. The thing he found most disturbing of that book was the relationship between him and twenty one year old Cleopatra…

Kilik knew he was up to something, but he trusted his son, letting out a sigh, "Alright, go on. Be home on time!" he called as the wild boy dashed out of the house, enthusiastic over something. Kilik was proud to call that boy his son, but the next day, what Xiba would have to do…he didn't know how to explain it to him.

Xiba was just above the hill from his home, he looked back one more time, _"This has to be quick," _he thought _"Just sneak out, look around, then get home before sun down." _He looked at the temple's gates.

Not a problem for Ole' Xiba. At least he hoped, he then took his chances, stepping closer to the gates.


	5. End of a Fantasy

Xiba plodded through the valleys that came in between the towns and the main gates. He so far managed to go by unnoticed by his peers, whom were still on the subject of monkey boy winning the Kali Yuga. He figured they'd make up some pathetic lie of him cheating, and maybe go through the trouble of convincing Kong Xiuqiang of it; that is if one ever got a chance to speak with him personally _without _his request.

None of that mattered to Xiba. Not now anyway. All he could think of was setting foot outside the village; being the first to do so and come back. No harm would be done he thought! The red-haired wild boy passed by a fellow classmate, not even acknowledging her. The girl leapt up from her spot and gingerly called out,

"Xiba!" It was Lea. He stopped and turned around, she blushed, "Um…I never got to say congratulations on the exams." Huh? Now THIS was interesting. Xiba stepped closer, making her tense up, she fiddled with her hands.

"Really? You're congratulating me?"

Lea smiled, "Of course! We all had a fair chance; and besides, you have been ranked 1st all this semester…" her smile faded, she felt awkward and, needless to say, stupid. Now what could she say? Xiba raised a brow; she was suddenly more and more familiar,

"Don't we sit in the same row?"

Lea snorted, "Yeah! I was ranked 3rd in our class." She blinked, trying to keep calm. Her heart was pounding, "You know, at our graduation, you'll be hailed for wielding the Kali Yuga." The ceremony…oh yeah, that was coming up in a week or so…

Xiba scowled, "Don't remind me."

"Hm? What's wrong?" Lea began to feel more comfortable in her own skin, she opened up into a conversation, "I thought you'd be excited."

Xiba continued to grimace, "Eh…" he began with a sigh, "My dad's proud of me and all…but I really never wanted to be a fighter." Lea wavered, "Since my mom died when I was a baby, my dad's wanted me to carry on the family name and protect our people, but that's just not what I want to do the rest of my life."

"Huh." Lea scratched her cheek, "Why don't you just say so?" she suggested with a grin, but Xiba nodded,

"I've tried. My dad only hears what he wants to hear. And all he hears is that I'm the heir of the Kali Yuga." He began to turn away, "Anyways, I've got some stuff to do." The wild boy began to trot off, "Nice talking to ya." Xiba politely bid, now realizing not _everyone _in the Ling-Sheng Su Temple was full of themselves.

"B-bye." Lea shyly raised a hand, bewildered by his response.

Xiba's adventure could now begin, except the closer he got to the gates, the sooner he realized that there were multiple men in cloaked hidden around the area, keeping an eye out; possibly for the Rogues or anyone trying to leave, like Xiba. He bit his lip,

"Damn…guess I'm not getting through there." He whispered to himself, disappointed. However, upon farther inspection, the Ling-Sheng Su fighter noticed something that…almost no one had the attention span to notice. Anyone who wanted to sneak out of the temple anyway. He saw large cracks at the far right end of the cement walls, hidden within the bushes and rubble of the mountains. Xiba snuck over, stealthily as if spies were in each and every corner. Or as if _he _were the spy. The adolescent crept over and saw that the cracks were indeed what he thought they were. It was hidden behind a large boulder, but behind it was a gaping hole that the Rogues used to break in sixteen years ago.

_"Heh, guess they covered it up without telling anyone." _Xiba chuckled to himself, now just to remove said boulder from its spot. He could do it he told himself, he was quite robust; a brawny physique due to a near lifetime of training and exercising. Xiba then spent the next five minutes, which was hours in his head, using his strength to push the large rock aside. Once in a blue moon someone snuck out, the village deemed them missing and when they tried to enter the gates, they were sent to live on the mountains across the river, Zhen Hang Mountain. It was an uninhabited mountain where the 'outlaws' were sent to starve to death.

Xiba gulped and halted his movements. He remembered that story, and if his father figured out he was gone for too long…No! He recoiled from the large rock, now revealing half of a large opening to the outside. That's when he began to think about Edge Master. He would've caught him before he could even reach the gates. He knew the boy like the back of his hand; he was aware of everything he did before he even did it.

Xiba didn't know what to do…

He looked at his progress; he'd pushed that boulder aside all by himself! Heck, with his strength alone, this wasn't anything physical, this was will-power! If Xiba wanted something, he would get it. And he wasn't about to stop now! With a smirk, Xiba put all of his weight into his arms, sliding the large rock to the side, trying to refrain from grunting during his exertion of force.

Once the deed was done, Xiba fled, he ran as far from the temple's gates until he was sure he was out of sight. When he looked back with every few feet away he got, the more enclave and hidden the temple appeared, deep within the mountain's range. He didn't stop at all; every time he looked back he would take a few steps backwards and then continue, ecstatic and appalled that he was outside. The more he looked around, the more he couldn't believe it.

Everything seemed so much less…crowded, with trees, flowers and a clear, beautiful view of the mountain range ahead. The farther Xiba headed down was when he saw the bridge. He looked to his right and far down there it was; an old, wooden, rickety hanging bridge with small intercedes between each wooden step. In front of it was a sign. Xiba could barely read it from a distance, but it read:

**甄行山**

** Zhen Hang Mountain**

So that was it huh? Xiba looked again at the mountain; it wasn't as dark and scary as he thought. It was just another mountain range. Xiba walked closer to the brink, underneath the creaky bridge, many miles down was a river. It looked serene and calm, but so far, far down. Curious, the warrior picked up a rock and heaved it over the cliff. He counted to sixteen before it landed. It didn't seem the far down, but the more the spiky haired boy thought about it; stay perfectly silent and silent for sixteen seconds…it felt like quite a while.

That's when he heard it; the beautiful enchanting noise of a woman vocalizing. No, it wasn't a woman's voice at all; it was the strumming of an erhu, a two stringed violin. No matter the case, it was definitely one thing: Music. When Xiba continued down the path, the music became louder, so did the chatter of people, the footsteps of geta, the clinking of china and people sharing kettles of tea. There was a small town at the end of the mountains; the province below was unaware of the mysterious temples above.

The people seemed no different than the citizens back in the village, yet there was something about them that drew Xiba in, he wanted to get a closer look. The boy stepped out into the open; he seemed to blend in quite well, albeit being bare-foot. His pendant rattled when he hesitated, wanting to forget all about this and go home, back to the life he had. He feared someone would single him out somehow… He then told himself not to be ridiculous and stepped in, walking through the towns, not interacting with anyone but observing with his bright brown eyes.

He maintained a neutral expression despite his excitement that was on the verge of fear. Xiba wasn't paying attention when he bumped into a young girl, about twelve years old, "Sorry." He flatly said, but the girl eyed him curiously. Xiba didn't like this, just run! Run now! He thought.

"Are you from the western provinces?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"What?"

"I heard that tons of people there are strong like you!" Xiba blinked. Must've been his muscles that made him stand out. How?

"Oh…you did?" was all he said.

The girl nodded, her black ponytail whipped up and down as she did, "Yeah, they protect us from the Evil Seed's minions." Wait a second…

"You know about that?!" the boy stepped forward, he didn't realize that this was common knowledge…but then he thought of what his father had said; they spread fake rumors of the Kali Yuga's destruction to repel the Rogues…did commoners catch on? Was the Ling-Sheng Su Temple even a secret anymore? Something just didn't feel right.

"Jan!" A girl closer to Xiba's age called, "Hey! I've been looking for you-" she paused upon seeing Xiba. He wasn't sure how to react, nor was the girl as she blushed and giggled, "Oh hi…" she put her hands on Jan's shoulders, "Was my sister bothering you?"

Xiba still felt tense, "Oh, no…she was just asking me a question." His painful honesty came in handy at times, mainly when he wanted to avoid awkward situations.

"Well, I guess I can answer if for her." She grinned, having not seen a young man like Xiba before. Something about him was…different. She turned to walk away, but froze, "Do you live around here?"

Again with that question? "Because, everyone who grew up here knows everyone, and I don't recall ever meeting you." She seemed more curious than her suspicious sister. Xiba still didn't feel any less uncomfortable,

"Oh um…I-"

"Ah never mind." She bubbled, strangely eager to get to know the boy, Xiba wasn't sure if he was happy or regretful of his decision, "You know…there's a live music performance later…you should come see it." Ah, so he DID hear music. He smiled,

"Oh, neat. When will it be?" The girl then grabbed his wrist,

"Whenever we ask them to play something!" She then dragged the boy along to the performers who only took requests. Xiba started to come out of his shell, feeling more comfortable with these strangers.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Kilik stepped outside of his home. The sun was starting to set as the sky turned pink and orange. He was growing uneasy; Xiba promised to be back before sundown, and he was only supposed to be getting some books. He was usually in and out in five seconds. Kilik sighed, pacing back and forth in their yard. He trusted his son, but he'd been out of it lately, not quite himself. Kilik thought going up the mountain, just taking a peek at the towns wouldn't hurt.

The swordsman walked up the long path, but upon reaching the village, his son was nowhere in sight. Kilik looked to and fro, beginning to worry. Where could he possibly be? He stopped a woman passing by, "Excuse me, have you seen my son, Xiba?" Everyone knew who he was at this point,

"Oh, our new savior?" She smiled, Kilik nodded, not fazed by the words, "No, I haven't seen him."

This was infuriating, he growled to himself, "Are you sure you didn't see him pass by?" The woman thought for a second. She was definitely older than Kilik, who was forty years old.

"Actually, I may have seen him heading towards the exit," she waved her hand with an optimistic tone, "But he was probably just lost and wandering that way. I don't know what anyone would be doing trying to leave the village!" she then walked off, leaving a shocked Kilik. He then blitzed in the direction of the large walls. The monks didn't seem disturbed by anything, but then he saw the large hole in the wall…

Jolly music lit up the streets of the small towns of Shaanxi. The people crowded around the music players and danced. They played the song "The Golden Sun Over Beijing" and everyone was joyful and giddy with the fast ehru and the quick strumming of harps, the fast flutes. Xiba was within the crowd with the girl who pulled him over. He was immensely enjoying himself, never feeling so free spirited before in his life. They danced together,

"Having fun?" She called out,

"You bet!" he replied with glee.

Kilik approached the crowd; the long, nerve-wracking treck down the mountain side finally granted him what he wanted. He didn't know what to be; relieved, or angry at his son. Kilik chose the latter and slowly walked up behind him. He cleared his throat. That was all he needed to get Xiba's attention.

The wild boy's eyes widened; his heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned around, "Dad? Wha-"

"Xiba what the hell are you doing out?!" he was furious. Xiba tried to keep calm. Perhaps if he agreed with everything his father said, he'd go easy on him.

"Dancing." He honestly stated. The girl behind him was confused,

"Who's this, is this your dad?" she didn't sound as friendly as she did a moment ago.

"That's none of your business!" Kilik demanded. Xiba had never seen him so aggressive; he made a vassal of himself as he tried to defend himself,

"Dad…what's wrong with-"

"I can't believe you snuck out of the temple when you _know_ it's forbidden!" Xiba's eyes gleamed with guilt and embarrassment; he looked away, "You're smarter than that Xiba!"

Xiba felt the guilt his father was looking for, "Father, I-" Kilik interrupted him with a sigh; after all, he was mostly worried about him.

"Let's just go home. We'll deal with it later." The girl grabbed Xiba's arm,

"Why does he have to go? The fun's just started!" Kilik looked at her more closely, yet he didn't want to get involved with her in anyway. He gently tugged Xiba's wrist,

"Never mind that, we have to get back to our home." The girl suddenly appeared more aggressive, tugging on the back of Xiba's shirt, startling him.

"Come on! Don't be so stuck up!" the girl passionately latched herself onto the wild boy, who was confused as ever,

"What's gotten into you?" Kilik raised a brow, now something was definitely wrong. He sensed a disturbance to the left. He saw a tall man standing amongst the crowd. Now HE was familiar. He wasn't sure why, but he was unsettlingly familiar. He looked at Kilik with hatred.

"Hey! Stop!" Kilik turned back to his son, who was nearly dragged off by the girl into the crowd, who only watched in confusion. He squirmed out of her reach and shoved her away.

"Don't be so mean!" She whined, her voice was suddenly childish. Kilik knew that voice.

"What's the matter with you!?" Xiba demanded to know, angry. But Kilik quickly pulled out a sword he'd brought,

"Xiba! RUN!"

"Huh?"

Kilik stabbed the girl clean, Xiba watched in horror as blood splattered from the splitting of her head and neck. He stood paralyzed with fear as the head landed at his feet. The crowd panicked and ran for cover. Xiba could only stand, watching as his father slash into another man, who'd leapt to attack him. They seemed to multiply as more and more people approached to fight. Xiba finally couldn't hold it in anymore,

"AHHHH!"

Kilik recognized the scream, "Xiba!" He looked for his son, only to see him squeezing through the crowd,

"NO! STAY AWAY!"  
"WAIT! Xiba!" Kilik called, distracted by another foe,

"OUT!" The frightened boy cried, pushing past the frantic people, "LET ME OUT!" and he disappeared. Now Kilik had a bigger problem. He finished cutting into his foes and slicing them until they were all dead before him.

He caught his breath; the once delightful town was now deserted and covered with blood. Those foes…he remembered them, except they were too young to be the same people…

_"Have they…been reborn? Or worse…resurrected?"_ He looked at the decapitated head of the girl; he reminded him of that one freak. None of that mattered now, they were dead. But he had another problem, _"I've got to find Xiba!" _


	6. Bloodbath

Kilik rushed through the empty ghost town where the residents locked themselves in their homes for shelter. His clothes were stained with blood but that didn't matter to him. He eventually reached the town limits and was now back up the hidden path to the temple. The swordsman paused for a moment, then whipped around looking to his upper right,

"Xiba! Wait there!" his son continued up the unknown trail, blitzing the moment he saw him,

"NO!" the wild boy was still frightened, adrenaline increasing his speed of flight. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Kilik caught up to him,

"Let me talk to you!" He demanded, Xiba tried climbing up the mountain side, knowing he couldn't outrun him for much longer. He dug his nails into the mountain side, getting his foot onto a rocky edge. They didn't call him monkey boy for no reason. Kilik grabbed the jacket tiger around his waist, "Xiba!" He didn't mean to, but he tugged the boy down, landing with a heavy THUD on his back.

Xiba tried to crawl away but he no longer had the strength. His heart raced, not sure if he even felt its pulse anymore. He caught his breath, sitting upright on his knees, "You can't run away from me; I'm your father!" the man pointed out. Xiba didn't turn around to look at him though; he'd never seen anyone be killed before, let alone by the man he called 'dad'. Some blood from the woman's head was on his hands.

"Xiba…answer me." Kilik lowered his tone, trying to be more soothing than commanding.

"You killed them…" the crimson-haired boy stated, "You killed those people."

"And what did you think would happen if I didn't?!" Kilik exclaimed. Xiba didn't answer, his position remaining unchanged. He was stiff as a statue. He didn't want to answer, though he clearly had an idea of what would've happened. "Xiba, now that you're the heir of the Kali Yuga you should _know _leaving the temple is off limits!" The boy stood up, eyeing his father,

"How did they know?!" He demanded, angrily getting closer, "If Ling-Sheng Su is so secret then how did they know that I was different? How did they know about the Evil Seed?!"

"Those weren't civilians Xiba!" He yelled, getting Xiba's attention, "They were minions of the wicked power, possibly reincarnations even!" it only made sense, "The reason we started those rumors around the temple was so that their spies would catch on." Xiba softened his features; his heart rate slowed a bit, the adrenaline ceased. Kilik pouted, a casual sadness,

"We're still a secret…" he grew stern again, "But what you did today was reckless, Xiba! You could've given us away!" He looked down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry dad." He moaned, "I swear it won't happen again." His eyes gleamed, still replaying the visions he'd seen.

"See that it doesn't." the parent crossed his arms, and then noted his son's sympathetic and sincere look. Kilik threw in the towel; he sighed and embraced him. "I was worried about you." he admitted. Xiba didn't hug him back, still in slight shock. He was still a child in Kilik's eyes, though he wasn't always this expressive of it. He pulled away,

"Now come on, let's go home before someone notices." Kilik patted his shoulder, trying to readjust. Xiba reluctantly followed his father back home; that morning at dawn, he was a normal, outcast, monkey boy. It was now a crescent moon night fall and he was the village's savior who'd just witnessed his first murder. So much change in just a single twelve hours. Below them, just outside the parameters of the town, the girl Jan was watching them with a menacing look in her eyes.

After sneaking back into the temple, pushing the rock back in place and returning home, they agreed to act as if nothing happened; even around each other. Kilik was in the shower, just after Xiba finished. The young man sat in his room off the side of his bed, pondering. He was just so confused; why did they pick him after they rejected him? Why did he have to fight? Why was he so confused even?

Xiba grasped at his pendant for comfort. The jingling sounds of the beads calmed him down for some reason. It comforted him. When that didn't work, he buried his face into his knees, pulling at his spiky hair. He could still vividly envision the girl's head staring blankly into his eyes as it tumbled to the ground. Xiba had read plenty of books with graphic details like such, some even had illustrations.

But those were only books, meant to put a picture into the reader's head; what Xiba saw was regrettably real. That was with a sword alone. With a rod, one had to plod and smash violently to break the bones or rupture the organs of the opponent. Xiba didn't realize it before but the Ling-Sheng Su Style Rod and Kong Style Rod were the most violent forms of fighting; and _he _was a renowned pundit of both styles!

"Xiba." His father's voice triggered him to come back into reality. He lifted his head, disoriented from snapping out of his thoughts. "Remember…tomorrow's a very important day. Wear some nice clothes if you can." The boy nodded,

"Alright, I can do that." He flatly said, no expression in his voice. Kilik turned around, just before shutting the door, he said,

"Good night, kiddo." He tried to joke, but Xiba just wasn't up for it. He nodded in response; he probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all that night. Kilik crawled into his bed, lying on his side. He kept his eyes open, thinking about the past events.

Not that day, long past events. The first endurance with the Rogues; his son was only an infant then. At least now he could defend himself he thought. But after today, would they be after his child? His most precious being? Kilik always put Xiba first in his life…he was his everything, especially after losing Xianglian. He just wished he could tell Xiba everything about the past without it breaking his heart.

The reaction his son gave him today was unsettling; he'd traumatized the poor boy. Yet, he noticed that Xiba had much more courage than he had; sneaking out even though he knew it was prohibited. Reckless, yes. Brave, yes. Stupid, yes.

All of those things his adolescent warrior was turning out to be. But they were all for the good he thought. Kilik then drifted into sleep, where his thoughts dissolved into dreams. He didn't believe they were dreams, as he deemed the notorious scenario to be real. The temple was encased in crystals, the townspeople frozen and trapped, left to slowly suffocate or freeze to death, if they were still alive to see.

Most of the lucky ones were killed instantly. To the man's horror, his own son, Xiba was no exception, and was trapped and comatose within the mass of star dust. Kilik had a staff, he tried to plod away the icy matter, but he wasn't strong enough; he couldn't even crack it. Yet his son was in plain sight. He didn't know why but he could sense his body slowly dying as he struggled to break him free.

With a gasp, the man jerked upright in his bed. The darkness around him was a heavy contrast compared to the vivid reflections of the crystals in his dream. Kilik familiarized his surroundings and then hopped out of bed, quickly walking out of his room and to the one next door.

He hastily slid the door open, he saw Xiba, lying in a bed with messy bed sheets. With a moan, the boy turned over from his side onto his back. The noise had caused him to stir, but he didn't wake up. Kilik sighed, relieved. The up and down movement of his son's chest eased him. He was still breathing. It was a blissful sight. He slowly closed the door back, sauntering into his room to get some true rest.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

On a breezy, pale blue dawn, the workers rose early to go to their shops, restocking their supplies of food and freshly picked crops. The women dressed themselves and hung their new clothes on the wracks; the blacksmiths polished the fine weaponry for sale. Soon to be among the morning crowd was a young man, whom was currently dressing himself in some nice attire he'd found.

Xiba put on a short-sleeved, yellow jacket that was torn at the bottom. It had a large dragon painted onto the back of it. He put on some long pants and he found some boots that were once his father's when he was around his age. They were a bit loose when he first slipped them on, so the monkey boy tucked the ends of his pants into them, making them more snug.

In the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, it was considered respectable and a custom of well-being to wear jewelry at an occasion like this, so Xiba put on a different necklace, one that had an emblem in the shape of a crescent moon and two bracelets, one on each wrist, both blue and embedded with beads. He stood in front of the mirror and finished brushing his teeth, spitting out the excess paste.

Xiba wasn't sure if he liked what he saw; a teenage boy in his father's clothes…about to change his life just for the sake of his father. He scratched at his red hair; its wild nature didn't seem to change, not even when he brushed his fingers through it. He sighed through his nostrils, solemn.

Kilik had just woken up and was in the kitchen heating up some tea over a candle. He needed a hot beverage in the morning, like most people. He heard light steps approach him as the caused the wooden floors to creak. The man stood up, not recognizing his son for just a brief second. He blew out the candle, no longer needing it to reinvigorate.

Xiba could only express a neutral sadness. He was in no way happy about this at all. Kilik approached the boy; he'd never seen him in such formal attire. He rubbed his hair gently, "Xiba…" he softly began, "I never realized what…what a bright young man you've become." Kilik couldn't forget what also lied ahead of him…the test…

"An honest…bright young man." He slid his palm across his hair and stepped back. Sorrow and anxiety glowed in the boy's brown eyes. Neither one of them knew what to expect, even Kilik who was wise upon his years. Xiba did know one thing;

"If only Edge Master were here to see this." He whispered, looking away. Kilik's stomach flipped, remembering their loss was still hitting hard, at least for Xiba.

"He'd be proud…" he looked at his son carefully once more, "So would your mother." Xiba winced, wrinkling his nose. He didn't want to think of sad thoughts; today was already going to be long enough. The family then trailed across the temple to the dojo at the top of the head mountain. Everyone immediately stopped and bowed as they walked by, as if royalty had approached the area.

"It's our savior!" Some chattered and whispered in wonder. Xiba didn't want to look at anyone around him; the praise sickened him. The bilious and unwanted attention made him want to barf. Among the crowd ahead of him as they walked, he saw Lea. She smiled and waved. Xiba grinned, but as he went to wave back Kilik grabbed his wrist and lowered it,

"Don't interact with anyone." He whispered.

"Why not?" Xiba growled.

"It's informal for a man of your standard."

What? Xiba wanted to laugh. A man of his standard. Even Xiba knew he wasn't mature enough to be considered a 'man'. A young one maybe, but not a 'man'. He frowned, but Lea kept her gentle smirk as he passed by. Su then elbowed her,

"Just wait. He'll do _something_ that'll mess it up!" she chuckled. Lea grimaced angrily at her 'friend'.

The father and son sat inside the dojo, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. It was beautiful on the inside as it was on the out; beautiful vases with bamboo plants, dragon themed paintings on the walls, depictions of the Ling-Sheng Su warrior's leading their temple to sanctuary from their attackers. Xiba remained untouched by all of this as he anxiously sat on his knees, waiting for Kong Xiuqiang to emerge from the doors in front of him. Kilik was at his side, he noticed his worried expression,

"Don't be afraid…" he whispered. The test…that was all he could think of. Why shouldn't_ he_ be afraid? He had yet to tell Xiba, but it was not allowed. He grasped his boy's hand. It caused him to flinch, since he'd been zoned out for quite some time. He saw how upset his father looked,

"Dad?" the sounds of rolling wood startled him as Kilik gathered himself. The doors opened and the elderly man stood among them, the sacred staff strapped onto his back. Xiba's heart began to pound like a drum. Not even, a steam hammer beat against his chest. His breathes were shortened. Kilik's melancholic look remained as he slipped his hand from the wild boy.

"Xiba." Xiuqiang boomed, like a god, "Rise." Xiba, without hesitation, not wanting to mess up, did as told. Kilik sighed, scared. The master slowly approached the boy and then revealed a gold and crimson staff. The Kali Yuga was among the boy's reach. "This belongs to you now."

Xiba, with shaky hands, took the staff. It was much heavier than he anticipated and nearly dropped his arms. It was made of metal, which made it stand out from the other wooden rods. He'd done it. Xiba was now in possession of the temple's last sacred treasure.

"But we cannot make this official just yet." He began. Xiba had almost forgotten about the test, he raised a brow. His heart rate steadily increased. Xiuqiang gestured to Kilik, "This young man's father, please rise." Kilik slowly did so. Xiba had a feeling his father would be involved in this test somehow…it boggled him. He gazed at him with worried eyes.

"Now." His sudden words always startled Xiba, he quickly turned back to him, "Before we can make you our sacred holder of the Kali Yuga, you must complete one test…this will be your final test before becoming our leading warrior." Xiba hated this, but he nodded anyway. The elder looked at Kilik, who was looking away from his son. He couldn't. The old man then looked back at the muscular sixteen year old before him.

"You must kill the one you are most fond of."

Xiba's thoughts were suddenly obfuscated; in a morass pit of darkness in despair. His heart had stopped, at least for a moment. His pulse jumped a few beats, causing his blood to race through his veins, his mind began to decay. But all the boy could muster was, "I~I h~have to what?" Kilik still didn't look back,

"In order to be a worthy warrior of this temple, you must be rid of whatever contact you have of your emotions." Kong Xiuqiang smiled and looked at his father, "Your father did the same thing many years ago."

"You did WHAT?!" Xiba's voice rose an octave, he gripped the rod tightly, terrified, as if it would protect him. His father had killed someone he cared about before. Could it have been…?

"Wait a minute…did you?" Tears stood in the monkey boy's eyes, "Did you kill…" they streamed down his face, "M-mother-?"

"Hey!" The master frightened him, he jerked away, "You must complete this test."

"NO!" his thought process slowly dwindled, "I-I I DON'T WANT TO!" he was going insane, literally. Kilik still couldn't speak, trying to shut out his son's harsh pain.

"Do this or I'll kill him myself!" Xiba froze for a moment, his heart stopping once again,

"N-N-NO!" he tightly clenched Kali Yuga.

"I'll give you five more seconds," the man was right in his face "To do this before I do." Xiba was reduced from a teenage warrior, to a crying child whom craved peace,

"No…" he squeaked, "No...I CAN'T KILL MY FATHER! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME!" Xiba wailed, his face scrunched up and red from the emotional torture. Xiuqiang attempted to snatch the rod from his grip,

"THEN I'LL DO IT!"

**"NO!"**

Xiba snapped…everything went black for just a second…but it was far longer than that.


	7. The Plan

**Souls_&_Swords: Short chapter warning. Sorry =/**

Xiba's eyes slowly focused his surroundings…everything was but a blurred vision and mix of colors traced with the outline. He didn't remember what had happened in the past few seconds…all he remembered was black and _BANG! CLOMP! BAM! _And more ineffable, hideous sounds. His own breathing was all he could comprehend. The red haired wild boy slowly regained his strength. He was on his knees, one hand propping himself up on the floor, the other cemented to Kali Yuga.

"Xiba?" That voice. It was his father's. Kilik had his hands on his shoulders, trying to comfort the boy. His dad was alright, at least that was a given. But what had happened?

_Drip!_

Xiba saw a small droplet of red liquid land on the wooden floor below him. He then realized his hand was covered in it. A trail even led down from his hairline, all the way down his face and dripping from his neck. The wild boy slowly stood up, his knees were still shaky. "Dad…?" was all he could say, but then when he looked over. Blood painted the walls, but underneath it, the disfigured and beaten body of the elder, Kong Xiuqiang laid, lifeless.

Xiba's body didn't react, nor did his mind. He only stared. His heart didn't comprehend the action just yet. "Master Xiuqiang…" he mumbled, "He's…dead…"

Kilik was slightly horrified, but his son had only done it unknowingly; he snapped from the terror of being forced to kill his father. But someone else died instead…

"I…I killed him…" some emotion had entered his voice, it was that of horror. Kilik tried to comfort him,

"Xiba, it's alright." He anxiously stepped over, "We can figure this out." He tried to keep calm, but Xiba looked more closely at his gruesome work, the body had been bashed and bloodied. Kong Xiuqiang's right eye was even smashed inward…as if it were now missing.

Xiba stepped back, "Ah…AH-AHHH!" Kilik smacked his hand over his son's mouth,

"XIBA! Don't attract attention!"

"I KILLED HIM!" Xiba shoved him away, "WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT DID IT DO?" The frantic boy begged to know.

"XIBA! CALM DOWN!" The boy ignored him and dashed out of the dojo. He left through the back and went unseen by the other villagers. He ran as far as he could. The sun was out but it was hidden behind the overcast of clouds; as if it would rain. Xiba ran; the blood on his jacket left a trail as he did so. He didn't realize it, but he was still holding Kali Yuga in his hands.

He came across a small wooden bridge just a few inches above a lake. It led to a small waterfall. The sounds of rushing water didn't ease him in anyway. Xiba saw into his reflection. He'd been hit in the head, as blood trailed over his right eye and down his cheek. It stopped at his chin line and dripped onto his neck. The small little ink droplets flickered into the crystal blue waters, turning the splotches pink.

Xiba slowly pressed his hand against the wound in his head. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten it, or what he'd even done to the man. But he did it…worse; he had no memory of it. Xiba violently rubbed against the blood, trying to be rid of it. But it left a dark brown stain on his skin. He brushed his wild red hair over the wound, trying to hide it from himself.

"Xiba!" Kilik had followed the boot prints in the dirt. They were weak, but enough to help him find his son. Xiba's eye twitched slightly, turning his attention to the swordsman. "Listen, what you did was out of self-defense…"

"He wanted me to kill you…" Xiba teared up again, his lip quivered.

"I know." Kilik attempted to soothe him, but nothing was capable of doing so at that moment. "He wanted you to be a warrior-"

"HE WANTED ME TO BE A MURDERER!" Xiba cried into hell's pandemonium Angel's had never heard such shrieks, the birds in the trees frightened, flocked together and dashed into the sky, away from the commotion. "AND **YOU**!" The wild boy was now angry, "He said you did it too…" Xiba growled, putting Kilik on the spot, "You lied to me…all this time YOU were the one who killed mother!"

"Xiba-" the man grew irritated, but Xiba wouldn't listen.

"WHY?! Why after all these years would you hide that from me?!" He snarled, becoming feral like a beast.

"Xiba!"

"YOU MURDERED YOUR OWN WIFE! YOU MURDERED MY MOTHER!"

"XIBA! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

There was another silence, just after the calling of scared birds ceased, flying once more to safety. Xiba's heart beat refused to slow, his body filled with adrenaline. "I killed your mother to protect our village!" Xiba didn't know what to say, he was too traumatized to understand anything at that moment.

"When Xianglian received the Dvapara-Yuga, it wasn't enough. She wanted to have the power of the two remaining sacred treasures." He remembered her laughing and screaming…it had made their infant child cry. Xiba's anger morphed into sadness, "She went mad with power, she even tried to snatch the Kali Yuga away from me and combine the two to make the ultimate weapon…"

He remembered it vividly, "Not long before this occurred, the Evil Seed had happened. And when your mother tried to pit the rod and the pendant together, the Rogues felt the evil energy and were lured to the Ling-Sheng Su Temple." Xiba's brown eyes glistened in the sunlight, he was confused and angry.

"So…it was mother's fault we were attacked?"

"Regrettably yes, but that's because she wasn't truly worthy of our sacred treasures; which is why there is only one remaining…" he looked at the staff in his son's hand, drowned with blood. "And that treasure belongs to you now."

Xiba backed away in fear. He looked at the metal rod in his hand, "But dad…I killed someone-"

"Many people were killed with what you have in your hand." Kilik pointed out, his son was old enough to hear the harsh truths. "It depends on the user whether it is a holy weapon or a malevolent one."

Xiba bit his lip, trying to maintain control of his emotions. But he couldn't He lowered his head; his bangs fell over his eyes. Kilik walked over and lifted Xiba's head; they were eye to eye, "Listen, no one knows it was you except for us."

The monkey boy forgot all about wanting to let out his tears, "What does that mean?" He knew what his father was implying, but he didn't want to believe he truly was,

"It means we must keep quiet…until I figure something out, we must act casually, as if nothing happened!"

Xiba flinched, "But dad! I have to tell the monks!"

"THEY'LL BANISH YOU, XIBA!" the father panicked, "They'll send you to Zhen Hang Mountain to starve!" Xiba gulped, scowling at the thought, but he deserved it…he was a killer. "I can't let that happen to my only son…" he turned around, the sun beamed onto the two, "Which is why…as soon as this situation quiets down so no one will dare discriminate or hurt you…" there was a pause, "I'll take the blame."

Xiba wasn't for this plan at all. But if he was waiting for the situation to quiet down, that would be a long time. The situation hadn't even begun yet. The two then had to wait for what would happen. But the new Kali Yuga heir was left unmistakably, undeniably disturbed.


	8. Confusion and a Diversion

The family of two walked back out into civilization; however, a chimerical crowd was gathered around Kong Xiuqiang's dojo. In a frenzy, the people pushed and wiggled into the crowd to see what was happening, there were monks heading inside. The loud chatter grated Xiba's eardrums; he knew this was all his fault.

"Xiba," Kilik nudged him in the opposite direction, "Find another way home, I'll meet you there." Xiba was reluctant,

"Dad-"

"Now!" Kilik commanded, the wild boy did as told, frantically running back into the woods, taking the long road home. The swordsman approached the crowd, a line formed; high-pitched screams filled the air as the elder's misshapen, bloody pulp of a body was dragged out by two men.

"MASTER XIUQIANG!"

"WHO DID THIS?"

"OH MY GOD!" A woman began to cry hysterically. Since Edge Master wasn't around, there was no second in command. No one knew who should approach and make the announcement. For now, Kilik decided to take matters into his own hands, but in making haste; his son needed him.

"Let me see!" he approached, observing the body more carefully. Xiba had really unleashed his fury against the man; green blotches on his arms revealing bursted veins, only his right eye remained, the other replaced with a red, grainy hole. His rib cage had been bashed inward. All for the sake of protecting his father. Kilik realized this was his fault…if Xiba wasn't about to be forced to kill him, none of this would be happening…if he hadn't pressured him all these years to get the sacred staff.

"Kilik!" A man's voice startled him; he rose back to the man's level, "Wasn't your son supposed to be here to receive the Kali Yuga?"

Stay calm, remain stoic, "Yes, we were here early this morning." No other being in the temple was aware of the dreaded 'final test' each warrior had to take, "However, when we left, everything was just fine. I was out training him in the forest." He lied, feeling the guilt tear into his heart.

A young boy clung himself to his mother's dress, "Our savior will find the killer! He'll protect us!" there was uproar of conversation. Now Xiba was on the spot once again. Kilik's eyes darted back and forth, they all depended on him now…even though he was the unwilling culprit.

"Kilik, we need your son in this investigation. The Rogues may have returned." He announced, the crowd murmured in fright over the thought. "Everyone must take shelter in their own homes until farther notice."

"No!" Kilik demanded, knowing it would only put a badge on Xiba's already debilitating guilt, "That'll be a sign of vulnerability; we all must remain calm, and act as though everything is fine." The audience was hesitant, but they were willing to listen, "Can you all do that?" it was more of a demand than a suggestion. After the citizens all gave each other looks and nods, they did as told; some going back to their shops, the others going back to working in the crop fields, the kids even going back to their classes.

The valor man was now comforted, but the monk was suddenly right in his face, "I don't know what it is…" he whispered with a cold tone, "But something isn't right here…And I think it involves you." Kilik remained unemotional. He already knew fingers would be pointed to him, but starving to death in the Zhen Hang Mountains would be only a small price to pay for protecting his child.

That's when he remembered, Xiba was probably having a fit back at home. Upon entering the house, the noisome stench of blood stung his nose and ears. "Xiba?" He heard running water; the boy must've jumped in the shower the moment he arrived. Kilik looked down to see the pile of clothes that landed in a straight line. Xiba wanted to be rid of the blood-stained mess for all of eternity.

Kilik piled up the clothes into his arms, still warm from the blood, and went to wash them. Xiba frantically scrubbed against his chest and face, it felt like the blood was now tattooed onto his flesh. The water draining below him was that of a dark orange color from the blotches that fell every once in a while.

After a bit, Xiba was dressed in his usual attire, he even put his mother's pendant and anklet back on. The crimson-haired staff wielder wanted nothing more to feel normal again. But his body still shook from the images he'd put into his own head. His eyes stared widely across the living room. Kilik had told him to wait there. The Kali Yuga was in arm's reach, but he didn't want it. He wanted nothing to do with the blood he'd spilt.

His father stood around the corner, looking empathetically at his adolescent son; shaking and scared. Had he done this? If it wasn't for his reputation would Xiba have had a chance at a normal life. These questions couldn't be answered now; he approached him with a wet towel cloth. Xiba slowly leisured his body, loosening up with a melancholic expression. His father knelt down in front of him.

"Where did he hit you?" The teenager pushed his bangs back; a swollen scar receded into his hair line. Kilik gently dabbed and wiped at it. It stung, but at the same time, it was comforting. The warm water absorbed the blood spots.

"What exactly happened, dad?" Xiba moaned, "How did I kill him?" Kilik was focusing on how Xiuqiang deeply impacted him…it was as if someone jabbed a pencil right into his boy's skull. _That _was unforgivable.

"You attacked him." Obviously, but he was trying to keep from avid details, "He tried to take the staff so he could kill me…but you shoved him down and just started hitting him with it." He retracted the towel, which now had dark red stains on it. He kept a quiet tone, he had his son's complete attention, "You just hit him and hit him and hit him…" Kilik was appalled himself, "But when he first tried to snatch it from you, I guess the combined force of your tugging, that when he let go it whammed right into your head."

The warrior was now confused, he didn't even feel any pain…only numbness. "Guess it was my own fault then."

"Xiba…" Kilik tried to speak, but he was cut off,

"I should've ran…" he welted up, "I shouldn't have killed anyone; I should've just given up the staff!" He grew emotional, but Kilik held him down gently,

"Xiba! It's going to be okay."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Xiba's tears were an endless pool.

"Because I've been here a lot longer than you have…" the father reminded, "I'm much more experienced…and to be honest," he began, solemn, hollow, "It would've been alright if you had killed me."

Xiba froze, his stomach flipped when his father said such words. There was a pause of silence, even his tears had halted automatically. "What do you mean?"

"I'm alright with dying…" said Kilik, "As long as I die before you." Xiba's brow made a sad expression; what his father had just said, the unsettling yet genuine love in those words…he still couldn't process any true emotion, but those words were forever carved into his heart.

There was sudden, rapid pounding at the front door, it made the two flinch, "Um, hello?" A nervous, female voice called. Xiba recognized it,

"I know that voice." Kilik handed him the towel,

"Wash your face." It would only bring suspicion if they saw his frantic tears. The man slid the door open, Lea stood before him, hesitantly fiddling with her fingers, "Who are you?"

She blushed, "I'm Lea…does…Xiba live here?" she gingerly asked.

"He sure does, but I don't think he's up for visitors right now-"

"Oh, hey Lea!" a new boy walked to the front door, suddenly as cheerful as he can be. "What's up?" He must've taken the words 'act like nothing is wrong' to heart.

"Well…" Lea smiled, "I was making sure you were alright." She suddenly changed moods, "But did you hear? Master Xiuqiang was murdered!" Xiba involuntarily flinched; his reaction was more real than anyone would think. Now the only person he considered decent was aware, "It was after I saw you headed up there, I wanted to make sure the killer didn't hurt you!"

Kilik stepped forward, "So wait, is this going around the village?" Lea felt like she was being interrogated,

"Yes…" she spoke in such a timid voice, "They say that they want an investigation to start tomorrow, they're calling the entire village to be there." The village had at most eight hundred people; it wasn't hard for news to get around quickly. Xiba's heart stopped again. He wouldn't be able to act innocent for long; he'd rather turn himself in and walk across the rickety bridge to the mountain now.

"Well thanks for telling us." Xiba forced out, once again in shock.

"You should get home, we don't know if we're safe yet." Kilik tried to act concerned; however, it only reminded Xiba that he was a killer.

"Oh, alright. Please take care." She gestured before turning away and heading back up the trail. They waited for her to walk a few feet away and then rolled the door closed, blocking out the light. Kilik saw Xiba's convulsed expression again, his body language spoke in a stiff manner, he was shaking again. The wild boy was done crying, but he sure as hell wanted to break down.

"Xiba, it'll be alright-" his son pushed him aside and ran out the back door, "Where are you going?!" He heard it roll back shut, Xiba barely slid his hand across it to leave it open ajar. The brawny monkey boy ran down the hill, past the tree he had fond memories of Edge Master with, he kept running. He suddenly lost his balance and rolled once, bouncing into the slick, grassy floors below him. Dirt stained his arm, but he didn't care. Xiba wanted to be as far away from people as he could possibly get. His mother's pendant rattled as he lifted his head. His mother was also mad…did killing run in his family?!

Xiba quickly repositioned himself to upright and hugged his knees. He was lost in misery, beside himself. _Dear God please help me… _was all his thoughts could compose. Tears wanted to come, but they were all dried out. Xiba was no longer the person he was the day before…he could only describe himself in one word: Murderer.

He sat there in solace until the sun set…letting darkness engulf him.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

After the moon was shining brightly on the estranged temple, Xiba decided to head back home, cleaning the dirt from his arm and shirt. He slid the door open, the house appeared completely empty, Kilik hadn't even waited up for him to return. Xiba worried if he had gone looking for him, "Dad?" he whispered.

There wasn't a response, but he just wanted some rest…his heart rate was finally a normal speed. After closing the door behind him he heard a floorboard creak. He wasn't scared; as he was sure it was his father. "Dad, you there?" he calmly asked. No response, when he opened his mouth to call for him again he heard a strange breathing come from his room.

It sounded hoarse, but he entered anyway; preparing himself for a possible fight. When he stepped through the door, he didn't recognize his room; it was the main section of the dojo. He recognized the dragon murals on the walls. Words were scratched onto the walls, like a schizophrenic had been locked in there in complete, maddening solitude.

Xiba's blood ran cold; he felt a demonic presence behind him. _Xiba, _the figure said, though when he turned around he saw nothing, nothing but the face of his old master that is. Bruised and a hole dripping with blood in place of his eye socket. The voice spoke in its sinister quietness,

_Time to kill~_

**"NO!" **Xiba leapt from his damp pillow, sweat poured from his face and shirtless body. He gasped for breath as he put his hand over his chest. His heart pounded…but it was over. It was only a dream he told himself. Sudden memories swarmed into his head of his father helping him back up the hill and dust off his bruised arm.

He covered his face into his palm, Xiba couldn't remember the last time he'd had a nightmare so vivid…so torturous. But then he noticed he still had the necklace on, suddenly he remembered. His last nightmare he'd woken up like this was no more than a month ago. Xiba had turned awkwardly in his sleep and the necklace got caught, it started to choke him.

Xiba dreamed of being strangled by an invisible force. He could feel the weight compress his lungs as it sank into his chest, the creature carved its claws into the boy's neck (which was actually the string digging into the flesh). If he hadn't yelled out in his sleep, his father probably wouldn't have shaken the boy awake in time.

His door slid open; he was still sitting upright, finally relaxing again. His face was sticky from sweat. Kilik got his attention, "You alright?" he worriedly asked.

Xiba nodded, "I'm fine." He flipped his pillow over to the cooler side.

"I heard you scream." He knew what had happened, but he could only do so much to ensure the boy was emotionally supported,

"I was dreaming." Xiba exclaimed, lying back down on his side, facing the wall. "I'm just gonna go back to sleep."

Kilik frowned, "Alright…sleep easy now, okay?" he knew if he tried to reassure the boy, he would only grow irritated again.

"Got it." Kilik closed the door and let the boy drift back into an uncomfortable sleep.


	9. A Boy's Courage

A crowd was gathered outside the deceased monk's dojo. The village had been called there to be interviewed, if not interrogated, for any witnessing of events. There was chimerical disorganization; people pushing and shoving, loud chattering about what they would ask and how nervous they were. Xiba and Kilik were amongst the crowd. The crimson-haired 'savior' looking pale and ill, a night of nightmares hadn't helped his condition, nor the nauseated feeling in his stomach.

"When they call us in Xiba, be prepared…I'm going to take the blame." Xiba had held his breath long enough,

"Don't do this father!" he howled over the crowd, though no one's attention was caught, "It's all my fault, if I'd just stayed in the crowds like I was told-" Kilik shot his son a harsh glare, ceasing his words.

"You're still so young…you were so much younger and innocent than I when I was given the test." Xiba shook his head, his pendant rattled,

"But my mother, she was pure evil-"

"And so was Xiuqiang." Kilik interrupted, surprising Xiba. He stared with wide eyes, realizing that his father's statement was true, "He's done…so much more than just force people to kill their loved ones to prove their strength." And Kilik was forced all these years to keep quiet about those secrets.

"Like what?" he whispered, his heart racing from all the tension, the crowd made Xiba feel like he was being suffocated. Kilik didn't want to plunder the boy's innocence any farther, murdering someone in defense was plenty stress enough. The doors of the dojo burst open, silence shrouded the area, Xiba's heart beated for freedom against his chest. Everyone froze. An elderly man was escorted down the steps by a monk, while another prepared to call out a name. However, instead of choosing a villager at random, he saw the adolescent in the crowd,

"Our savior, please approach!" Xiba began to shake; he tightly squeezed his father's hand. Unprepared, Kilik whispered in his ear,

"You'll be fine, just stay calm." Easier said than done. After reluctantly letting Kilik's hand go, the shaken staff-wielder slowly walked through the crowd as he approached the temple's steps, each step caused the wooden stairs to creak, making his anxiety rage. Xiba mustered a straight look. It was heavily forced, they would see right through him he thought. But alas, the monks bought it,

"We believe the Rogues have returned and killed our Master as a sign of retaliation." The monk spoke, gasps and panic roared in the crowd, "Silence!" The man demanded, silencing the worried audience. Xiba was desperately holding in his hyperventilation, the thins of his palms sweating. "We leave it up to you, Xiba, to protect us from their attacks." He loosened his posture, he held his mouth agape.

The audience began to talk with hope and relief; "Yay! We're safe!" A young boy cheered from his mother's side. Xiba turned out towards his villagers, they were all depending on him…yet _he _was the culprit…_he _was the one to blame. Xiba's breaths began to obfuscate, they shortened. The monk, whom proudly represented him a moment ago, looked at him curiously,

"Are you alright?"

Kilik could see his son's change of behavior, oh no! The images of Kong Xiuqiang replayed in his head, his vivid visions from the night before, the blood that was figuratively and literally on his hands, Xiba shouted in his head, STOP IT! I'M THE MURDERER! SEND ME AWAY TO STARVE! But in reality, the boy fell to his hands and knees, shaking and panting for air. "Xiba!" Kilik rushed to his side,

"What's wrong with him?" A teenager from the crowd screamed,

"It's an anxiety attack." Kilik muttered to himself, "Xiba, just take a breath." He rubbed his back; the monk knew all the attention wouldn't help,

"Alright everyone! Back to your places! Go about your day as you normally would!" the villagers, though suspicious and worried for the Kali Yuga heir, slowly disbanded and went off to their daily errands and duties. Fang Dao was among them, he never liked monkey boy…but his reaction to the crowd said something to him.

Kilik tried to get his son to look at him, "Xiba, everything's okay, just calm down." Tears rolled down from Xiba's brown eyes, immersed with guilt; the monk, taking off the hood from his cloak knelt down next to the teenager,

"It's fine, we can get him some water if he needs it-"

"I-I I DID IT!" Xiba screamed. Kilik panicked, he held Xiba tightly…not his boy! Not…his…boy…he dreadfully waited the monk's reaction, but he was trying to process his words,

"W-what?!"

"I did it!" Xiba shouted, feeling the layers of flesh between his chest and his heart thinning due to its intense beat, "I killed Master Xiuqiang! He wanted me to kill my father!" Kilik pushed Xiba's face into his chest, burying the tears and horror, unable to hide his own. He wrapped his arms around the boy; cementing his body onto his…he wasn't going to let them punish Xiba for this! The monk was bewildered, his eye-lid twitched only once, but then he turned to the former Kali Yuga heir,

"Is this true?" the aghast man asked.

"It is…" he embraced Xiba, "But he's only a child!" he pleaded, ignoring Xiba's 16 years of age, "So if you're going to send someone to Zhen Hang Mountain, send me!" Xiba pulled himself out of his father's hold, looking him the eyes, telepathically begging him not to take the blame, "I should've prepared you for this…" he guiltily admitted. The monk scratched his chin, eyeing the inheritor,

"Inside, both of you!" he commanded. As they stood, the tearful Xiba clung onto his father's sleeve like a child,

"Dad-" Kilik couldn't say goodbye. Not yet. He tugged away and left into the dojo. Xiba followed. Someone had overheard the conversation…and boy were they angry…yet happy at the same time.

Inside, Kilik and Xiba sat on their knees below the other elders. They were discussing a plethora of problems; but Xiuqiang had chosen Xiba for a multitude of reasons, not just because he was Kilik's son. He was ranked highest in his class, he was Edge Master's star proselyte, and there were many talents within this young boy that he saw in no other warrior before. Xiba had finished sobbing, but he was still in pain,

"Dad, what's going to happen?"

"Shh."

The four men stood over the father and son, "Alright, we've come to a conclusion." Kilik prepared himself, while Xiba bit his lip in fright. "As long as the two of you keep quiet about this, no one in the village will know." Xiba grunted slightly, his mouth dropped from the shock. "Master Xiuqiang wanted you to lead this village into sanctuary, to build this into something more…at least that's what he told us." Beads of sweat fell from Xiba's forehead, "Once this settles down, his death will be a mystery…even to us."

He was too stunned to reply, the wild boy's jaw remained dropped but then Kilik stood up, "So wait, Xiba will still be the holder of the Kali Yuga?"

"That is correct. Neither one of you will be punished." The man grew cross, "As long as neither one of you say a word about this." Xiba didn't like this, he gritted his teeth. The sun began to set on the mountainous temple, the sky was a beautiful deep red; the family of two began to head back to their home, both appalled by the results of their pleads of guilt.

"What now, father?" Xiba unconsciously stuttered, Kilik was actually overjoyed that his son would still be at his side. Maybe this would pass over soon…and his life could go back to normal,

"I don't know." He smiled, "And I don't care. All that matters is that you're not going anywhere!" Xiba halted his next step, unable to believe the immorality of his father's words, at least in his head. What Xiba saw himself as was a killer, what Kilik saw was his son, who unwillingly got a piece of the real world. And worst of all, what the Ling-Sheng Su Temple saw was a hero, their preserver of pride and hope. Kilik turned around, "Xiba, what's wrong?"

"How can you say that?" he didn't understand, "Doesn't this disturb you?!" he raised his voice, "They're willing to keep quiet just because Master Xiuqiang said I was 'special'? What does that even mean?!" Kilik grimaced,

"We should feel grateful. And Xiba, you didn't maliciously kill someone because of hatred in your heart, you did it to protect someone!" that was what Edge Master had told him; right after he killed Xianglian to protect his child. Kilik frowned at that memory, "Now please…let's move on, together." He held out a hand, ready to go home and start a new day. Xiba recoiled, not accepting his gesture.

"Xiba…" he tried to change the subject,

"Hey dad, I'm gonna go grab some steam buns for dinner." His normally enthusiastic attitude for those fruity treats wasn't present, more solemn, "I just want to be alone for a while." The look in his eyes, despite the issue just a few days prior, Kilik still trusted his son. He retracted his hand,

"Alright…just be home before it gets too late." Xiba nodded,

"I will." With that, the two departed in separate paths, Xiba heading back uphill to the towns. But he ended up not getting a bite to eat that evening. He sat a table near the food venders with his head cupped in his hands. The wild boy drowned in his guilt, yet his bittersweet freedom. What do I do? He thought, Xiba just wanted to go back to being weirdo monkey boy, he didn't embrace change; not anymore anyway.

The sky was just growing dark when he snapped out of his thoughts and began towards home. The streets were typically empty at this time, since hardly anyone was out at night. Xiba was just getting within the parameters of the mountain he lived at the foot on,

"Hey monkey boy!" He knew that voice. It was annoyingly familiar, Fang Dao, the boy he'd fought at the final exams. Xiba, not in the mood, continued on. "Hey! Hold it!" he commanded. Xiba did as so, turning around. Not saying a word. He'd probably just tease him for melting down, then Xiba could move on with his life,

"I heard what you did." He sneered. Xiba flinched, causing the beads on his necklace to jingle, his body became stiff, his eyes like an owls,

"W-what do you mean?" Fang Dao chuckled, smiling at his worried look,

"You killed the master…I heard you crying about it to the monks." A few other male classmates stepped out of the shadows. This was no longer a secret. One of them spoke,

"Shouldn't you be starving in the Zhen Hang Mountains? _Savior_?" They knew Xiba's remorse, they mocked him for it. Xiba took a step back,

"Listen, I don't want any trouble!"

"Don't worry!" The third boy, "We won't tell anyone." They approached him, one boy taking out a bamboo rod, the second taking out some sort of poison spray, though it was only a pepper spray. Fang Dao took out a sword, Xiba had no defense, he shuddered.

"That staff should belong to ME!" Fang Dao screeched into the night sky, having envied his position of 1st for as long as he could remember…When they were 12, Xiba was ranked 5th and Fang Dao was 3rd. After beating down a dummy, the arrogant youngling stood triumphantly over the pulverized dummy.

"Alright, nice job Fang Dao." The teacher marked next to his name. Edge Master smiled,

"Alright, Xiba, you're up." Xiba held the staff in his hands, forcefully demonstrating against the dummy; only doing what they had instructed him to do. He wasn't trying to show off anything. But the others were amazed.

"Whoa!

"He jumps so high!"

Fang Dao scoffed, "Big deal!" Xiba caught his breath. Edge Master and the monk negotiated for a second, he then crossed out Fang Dao's results and drew an arrow from Xiba's name up, "Alright, here are the results! Xiba, you will be moved up two ranks!"

"Two?" he asked in conformance. Fang Dao gasped in disbelief,

"But wait! If he's third now, then-"

"Fang Dao, you've been acting very cocky lately." Edge Master lectured, "You've been repositioned to fourth, just below Xiba." He glared angrily at Xiba, growling at him. The wild boy took a look at his expression, didn't like it, and destroyed all eye contact with him at once.

In present time, the now 16 year olds were, unbeknownst to Xiba, rivals. Fang Dao pushed into Xiba's chest, causing him to stagger backwards, "YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?!"

"Whoa!" Xiba nearly tumbled down the hill, barely catching his balance,

"Just because you were the teacher's pet?" He didn't like the way they talked about Edge Master, he suddenly grew fierce, "Heh, he was just an old guy who lost his senses years ago."

"Don't you talk about Edge Master that way!" Xiba demanded, balling a hand into a fist. The boy with pepper spray feigned fear,

"Whoa guys, look out! Monkey boy's getting angry!"

"Heh, don't worry." Fang Dao grinned, menacingly. He held out his sword. Xiba recoiled, now afraid. "He's nothing without a staff." Without warning, a fourth boy, with a wooden club, hit him from behind,

"AGH!" he yelped in both pain and fright, he fell to the ground below, his peer with the bamboo staff jabbed it into his back, it was painful, "UGH! Ghnnn~!" he held back screams. Xiba rolled onto his back, knocking the staff out of the boy's reach in doing so. He, without even using his hands, exerted his energy into his lower body and hopped to his feet. He was in pain however, trying to keep from showing it.

Unaware that someone was witnessing this, they circled around him, "Come on, you're out numbered! You can't take us." Xiba tasted blood in his mouth, must've been from when he got hit in the back of the head. It didn't matter, he couldn't show fear.

"Is that all you've got?!" he faked aggression, they were all quite surprised, "It doesn't hurt. You can do better than that, can't you Fang Dao?!" he eyed him, _daring_ him to use this sword… "More…" he was asking for it…but he prayed they would back down, "GIVE ME MORE!" He felt a staff jab into his spine, he stumbled forward with a grunt. Then came the spray.

Oh how heat felt fire in his watery eyes, filling with thick, salty tears, he shut them closed, the hissing of the pepper spray was unnerving as he let out a small cry of shock. He violently wiped at his eyes, now blood red. His vision was only blurred, but when he looked up, he saw Fang Dao's enraged face; he pounced on top of him. Xiba was on his back, he felt the wind get knocked out of his body as Fang Dao's foot dug into his pelvis.

They were eye to eye, "How's that? Monkey boy?" His sword's blade shined in the moonlight. He wouldn't kill him, that was for sure…but Xiba prepared himself for the worst pain he could imagine.

"HAAAAAUUGHH!" A violent shriek wailed as weight suddenly left his body. Fang Dao was shoved aside. Lea, with her sword Qing Long, fought away the antagonists. Her chest burning with fury, hatred stung from her sapphire eyes, "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" The boys panicked, as Xiba struggled to figure out what was happening. He gasped for air.

Next thing he knew, he felt a hand on his chest. He looked up to see Lea at his side, she held a sword up, she was kneeling down next to him, "I will kill _all of you _if you touch him!" she bellowed. The boys were terrified, not even trying to hide it. They fled, showing their true 'courage'. She suddenly changed personas, back into her true one. "Xiba!" she slid her hand across his cheek,

"Xiba, are you okay?" he breathed heavily, though he nodded. She lifted him to his feet, though he could barely stand, "I'll help you," she promised, "I'll help you."


	10. Memories

**Souls_&_Swords: Sorry this ended up being more of a flashback chapter. Didn't intend for it to be this long =/**

The two classmates walked up the hill and through the dimly lit towns. Lea had Xiba's arm over her shoulder, helping him stand. She was taking him to her home, "How much did you hear?" the injured boy asked. Lea blushed,

"What do you mean?"

Xiba looked down with shame, "Did you hear about…?" he sighed, unable to finish. Lea grimaced,

"I heard enough when I saw Fang Dao jump on you. I wasn't going to let him get away with it." She spoke so softly, it was normally hard t understand what she was saying but she spoke normal volume around Xiba. She didn't know why but she felt so much more comfortable around monkey boy with anyone else.

"What if he hurt you?!" Xiba demanded to know, still unhinged from the day's events. Lea halted her next step, looking at Xiba in the eyes,

"And what if he did?" she wasn't afraid of someone who was only a rank ahead of her…especially someone who mistreated the kindest heart she'd known in the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. Lea approached her small home on top of a hill, it was quiet and peaceful, much like Xiba's.

"Thanks for bringing me up here," he began, entering the door, "My dad would worry if he saw me beaten up like this." He sat down on a chair, his body was weak, his chest and stomach ached. Lea quickly got a small wash cloth and began soaking it in warm water. Xiba looked around; there wasn't much, aside from some furniture, Lea's clothes hung up along the walls, one room nearby with the door open, a floral-patterned blanket thrown over a sofa.

"So…where are your parents?" the Washu tried to make small conversation. Lea shut off the water in the sink, twisting the towel to get rid of the extra water,

"Oh um…" she stuttered, almost no one knew of this, "My parents aren't alive." Xiba gasped slightly. Lea had no reaction, only folding up the damp towelette. He frowned,

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." She cheerfully approached him, "The monks took care of me when I was young, and eventually I became capable of taking care of myself." The wild boy had no choice but to believe her; things seemed in good enough condition around there. Xiba nodded,

"Well, that's good." He smiled gently, he was about to take the wash cloth from her when she retracted her hand,

"No, allow me." She whispered with a kind grin. Lea knelt down over him, dabbing at the scratches he'd received from when he was shoved down into the grass. She gently wiped his cheek…she blushed deeply as she gazed into his copper eyes. Yet Xiba appeared saddened,

"Why are you doing this?" Lea paused for a moment, "We were just barely friends yet you risked your life for me." She kept her smirk,

"Because…Xiba," her blue eyes glistened in the candle light around them, "I needed to repay you for all those years ago." She wiped the cut once more, but the red-haired young man raised a brow,

"Wait? What are you talking about?" He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. They stared into each other's souls; Lea sincerely began to explain,

"Do you remember a crying little girl when you were 10?" she started, "A crying little girl the same age as you, being picked on by three boys?" Xiba's eyes widened, still bloodshot from the pepper spray,

"That was _you_?!" Xiba remembered that was the day he'd received his mother's pendant, as well as a black eye and a cut across his face. Lea smiled,

"I entered the training academy a bit older than most of you did; while all of you guys were, I don't know, three or four when you began, I started my first year learning the Ling-Sheng Su Arts when I was 10."

…

"Everyone, I'd like for all of you to meet our newest addition, Lea." The head monk and Edge Master introduced the young girl to her peers. They all stared with wonder or confusion. Isn't she a bit late on catching up? And shouldn't new kids be with the other toddlers? The bashful child nervously examined her new classmates, worried about what they were thinking of her. Edge Master tapped her shoulder,

"Lea, for now, you will start at the bottom of the rankings. Once we see your progress can we determine an appropriate position for you." Lea blushed,

"Yes sir!" She bowed, her ponytail whipped over her head as she did. The kids giggled at her over-politeness. The young girl already had a bad feeling about this. Weeks and weeks passed and she still was having a hard time catching up, her physical balance was making excessive progress however. She stood among the other girls with her sword,

"Retreating Bea Hua!" the monk shouted, she stumbled as she followed the other girls' positions, "Shan Kick!" Lea hoisted herself in the air, jolting her leg out with the other girls; never would she imagine that she'd be ranked in the top three six years later. "Hou Lee!" the special stance of Ling-Sheng Su Arts of the Sword, easy enough right? Wrong. What looked like a simple twirl pose with a sword required much flexibility and coordination; skills Lea just didn't have yet.

As she twirled, all she did was kick up some dirt with her shoe and fall over on her stomach. "Lea!" the monk halted the class, all eyes were on her, even the boys who were sitting watching the girls. "We've been telling you this for weeks, either get your act together or leave the academy!" she stood up, dusting herself,

"I'm sorry." She bowed with her hands in front of her body, too embarrassed to look him the eyes, "I've been practicing but I still can't get it right." She exclaimed. Edge Master approached him,

"Go easy on them, this _is _her first year!"

"You've been telling me this since she got here!" the mentor shouted, "And all she's done is waste the other's time!" Lea choked back tears, keeping her head down low. Later on during the lunch break, Lea had acquainted herself with Su, a fellow female practionere,

"They say I've got to work on getting down and dirty when it comes to fighting, but I don't want to mess up my hair!" she swiped her bangs to the side, making Lea giggle. It was nice to have _someone _to talk to, she'd take anyone. She was happy that she'd get to sit with someone today, but then two other girls approached them,

"Su! Did you hear? There's a new student monk coming in and I hear he's really handsome!" Su blushed, forgetting about Lea, making her feel invisible,

"You don't say?!" she followed them, "Show me!"

"Uh-Su?" but she was already out of ear-shot. The gingerly girl looked to her left and right, everyone either had their own group to sit with, or the others looked to intimidating. She sighed, "Guess I'm on my own again." She thought, but when she looked over by the trees, she saw a red-haired boy sitting alone in the shade.

"Huh?" she'd never noticed him before, he seemed so content for someone sitting alone; he ate from his meal tray with relish. His wild red hair should've made him stand out from the start, but Lea didn't recognize him. She thought about approaching him, but she hesitated, stiffening up, holding her bag tightly.

"Hey you! New kid!" Even though it had been almost three weeks, people still referred to her as 'new kid'. She turned around to the source of the voice, three boys, all in her class smiled mischievously, "What's wrong? Don't know where to sit?" Xiba watched from his spot,

Lea blushed, observing the three burly boys in front of her, "Uh-Um, no-I mean-I-"

"I-I-I." one mocked her shyness, "Can't you finish a sentence?" Lea looked down, embarrassed and hurt, "So, whatcha got in that bag?" he continued, the others snickering. Lea knew where this was going,

"This is _my _lunch." She attempted to assert, but they weren't convinced. Xiba's eyes mustered an angry look in his face.

"It was but, _real _warriors need to eat, and we don't have any food." The second boy in the group commanded, holding out his hand, "So hand it over." Lea gave in, swallowing whatever pride she had, which was little to none. She handed them the bag, "Be sure to bring enough for all of us tomorrow!" they laughed, walking off with her food.

"Y-yes…" she lowered her head, her bangs fell over her eyes, she heard footsteps plunder in the grass and someone tap her shoulder,

"Hey." Lea turned around, not raising her head even the slightest, but to her surprise, it was the boy with wild red hair she'd been observing earlier, "You just let them bully you like that?" the boy Xiba asked, bewildered. Lea turned around, blushing.

"I-I was afraid they'd hurt me if I didn't." Xiba raised a brow,

"Humph. Well you know if it was me, I would've let them have it!" He smiled, Lea looked at him curiously. He then pantomimed beating into someone's head and biting at them, making snarling animal noises. Lea laughed, smiling for the first time since she'd arrived at the temple. "You take them and break them! It's always the people who act like they're better than everyone!" The boy yelped enthusiastically.

Lea blushed, happily, "I guess I'm not brave." Xiba snorted,

"Sure you are! Some people just realize it faster than others." He exclaimed. The boy's cheerful liveliness had already touched the girl's heart, she smiled,

"Well I…thank you." She mumbled.

"Hey, are you hungry?" she looked up, surprised, "I have some steam buns left over if you want any!" he pointed back to his isolated spot near the wooded area,

"What are steam buns?"

"It's bread with fruit paste inside!" he grabbed her hand and dragged her over, "They're the best! Try them!" Lea smiled, gladly following the boy and taking a bite out of one of his favorite treats. They were indeed sweet. Xiba watched her swallow the first one whole, giggling at her progress. Lea wiped her mouth; she was still too shy to start a conversation with him, he took another one from his pack,

"Do you want another one?"

Lea pushed it away, "No! Really, it's your food." Xiba pouted,

"I have plenty; and you got your lunch taken away, so here!" he practically dropped it over her palm, forcing her to accept it. She grinned, thankful,

"What's your name?"

"Xiba." He beamed. "You're Lea, the new girl I've been hearing about, right?"

Lea nodded, "That's me…how come I haven't seen you around?"

Xiba frowned, "I don't like training, but my dad makes me." He pointed into the branches above, "Sometimes when I _really _don't want to go, I hide up in the trees during class and just watch."

Heh, like a monkey she thought. But this boy was different from the others; he was kind, gentle, yet something courageous and strong-willed about him too. "Class reassemble!" the mentor called, Xiba cringed,

"Uh oh! Gotta go!" Lea then watched as the indeed monkey child dug his feet against the tree's bark as he grabbed for the branches high above and climbed his way up. Lea stood up, but he'd disappeared into the leaves, when she turned around however, they were nose-to-nose, he was hanging upside down from a low branch. Lea's face turned bright red, "Hey. Wanna eat here again tomorrow?" the boy enthusiastically asked; how could anyone say no?!

"Yeah."

Xiba smiled brightly as he hoisted himself back up to the branches. Lea smiled at him one last time before heading back to class.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Lea awaited lunch the next day, even as she trained all she could think about getting to spend time with her first friend. As she trained, she didn't realize it but she appeared much more in synch and balanced with the other girls, the mentor smiled with approval, "I must say Lea, you've improved, anything you did to help you get it right?"

She got out of position, "Oh I just…found something that worked I guess." She exclaimed with pride, he nodded.

"Well make sure you keep it up. Alright guys, you've got half an hour for your lunch break!" Lea ran with her brown bag towards the trees, trying to hurry before any of the boys saw her, but she felt something slam against her ankle,

"Eek!" she fell into the grass below, dropping the bag. The boy from before, whom she found out's name Chen-Po, stepped out from the corner; he'd tripped her.

"Where do you think you're going with our food?" his two partners surrounded her. Lea stood up, picking the small grass leaves and roots from her hair. Instead of replying, she picked up her bag and continued on, "Hey!" he grabbed her by her ponytail.

"OUCH!" she cried out as she was yanked back. Xiba approached the lunch area and saw the commotion.

"What's wrong? Someone's being a bit disobedient today." He mocked, Lea tried to be brave, be brave for Xiba she thought. She elbowed Chen-Po and staggered away from the group,

"I don't have to take any of this!" she feigned bravery, even though she was terrified. However, being brave didn't mean one wasn't afraid; "This is my food! And plus, I'm sure if you're such a strong warrior, you can get your own food." She gave them a bitter look, "You just want someone to pick on so you feel powerful!"

Chen-Po was aghast, the other two then grabbed her by each arm, locking her up, "So, new kid think she's tough now does she?" she squirmed to break free, Xiba grew angrier by the second, he nails like claws scratched into the tree's bark. He'd seen enough as he stepped out into the open. Chen-Po picked up a worm,

"Heh, well let's see if she's tough enough to swallow this!" Lea began to cry, she wasn't strong enough to break free. As Chen-Po approached with the slimy being in his hand, she turned her head away as much as possible, cringing,

"Stop it!" she begged, the gross earth crawler getting closer to her lips. Chen-Po was suddenly shoved to the ground. The wild boy stood over them, angrily, but he laughed,

"Well well if it isn't monkey boy." He stood up; Lea tearfully looked at her heroic savior. Lea was the first villager to recognize Xiba as a hero.

"What's wrong with you?! Picking on a girl who didn't do anything to you!" He yelled. They dropped Lea, her arms were sore. Xiba crossed his arms, "You're always treating everyone like they're crap!" They were no better than Fang Dao he thought, but he hadn't stepped into Lea's life just yet.

"What do you care? You don't have any friends anyway!" He declared, angering Lea, "You're just a stupid, useless monkey boy who hides in the trees all day!" Lea growled, but Xiba could handle this, at least he thought.

"Humph." He crossed his arms, "At least I've got respect! I don't go around picking on nice girls like you!" Chen-Po snickered,

"Oh, so we should go around picking on boys?"

"Yes! Picking on boys is much more-" the boy paused, blinking a bit, "Ah-Wait wait! Not like that!" he waved his arms trying to explain himself but the two boys pinned him to the ground,

"Xiba!" Lea shrieked, Chen-Po jumped over him and began punching his face left to right, each painful grunt of pain made Lea's heart race, "STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE! TEACHER!" She ran off to find the monk, "WHERE'S THE TEACHER?!" She panicked, and so did the boys,

"Crap! Let's scram!" They left the poor wild boy there in the grass, now with a new, black shiner around his eye.


	11. Falling

Lea slowly wiped at the wild boy's cheek once again, the scratch now dried of its blood. Her pretty features gave an expression of sadness. Xiba only stared in amazement that she remembered all of that; he barely remembered what he had said to provoke the boys into punching him. "I brought the mentor back over but you had left…"

Lea remembered being too ashamed to approach him since then. She watched the wild boy eat alone the day after, sulking shamefully. "It was my own fault that they hurt you like that." Xiba raised a brow, "It's because I was weak." Her eyes gleamed, as if diaphanous tears were forming,

"Lea, no…" he tried to comfort her,

"I'm sorry for being such a coward when we were 10…" she straightened her posture, "That's why, I became more determined…" she trained day and night for the past six years, "More motivated…" she could whip the sword left, right, up, and down; swinging it gracefully as her body danced to the beautiful rhythm of her swordplay. "I wanted to become stronger."

A week before the final exams, Lea finished her demonstration and skidded across the rocky floors of the training grounds, posing in a fighting stance, "HA!" she cried out, finishing. The mentors looked at her with amazement, one marked next to her name,

"Excellent, Lea…excellent work." Lea took a bow,

"Thank you sir." She had become much more reserved and confident with herself…Lea found a content place in the society of Ling-Sheng Su; while she despised everyone around her; their hateful and self-absorbed personalities, she was kind to everyone around her as well.

"Alright, next in line, demonstrate!" As Lea walked back into the crowd, she walked past Xiba. Time moved so slowly whenever she saw him; even then as the wind was howling did it not seem to faze her. He'd seemed to have forgotten about her, but she was to blame; she'd avoided him ever since the incident.

"I wanted to protect you…to repay you for protecting me." Xiba frowned,

"Lea, you never had to repay me for anything." He insisted. Lea nodded in response,

"I felt like I had to…" she then reminisced about the rest of that class,

"Alright, here are the results!" The monk counted down backwards, going up the rankings list, "Okay…now we have our top three for the final exams…"

The only three students, Xiba, Lea, and Fang Dao anticipated their names, "Three, Lea. Two, Fang Dao." He smiled at the red-haired wild boy, "One, Xiba. Well done." They all had distinguished reactions, Xiba surprised, Fang Dao angry, and Lea content, blushing at Xiba.

"I always wanted to hold your hand…to be your friend." Lea softly continued, "That's why…when I saw what they were doing to you, I didn't hesitate this time." She proudly exclaimed. Xiba smiled,

"To be honest, you're the only other person in the temple I like." She blushed, recoiling just a bit, "You're different from everyone; you're quiet, but you're a nice person."

"Heh…" she smirked, "You're different too Xiba." He beamed,

"In more ways than one!" the two laughed. However, the joy was interrupted when Xiba felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He groaned as he clenched at it.

"What's wrong?" Lea flinched. Xiba breathed heavily, the pain was now dull.

"Nothing." He fibbed. "Just a weird muscle spasm I guess." Lea didn't think so,

"Fang Dao did pounce on you, let me see if there are any bruises…" she pondered, "Here. Take your shirt off." Xiba nodded,

"Okay." He unwrapped the tiger-pelted jacket from his waist. His top was already unbuttoned. Lea paused as he slid off his shirt, she knew Xiba was brawny but this was a sight. She blushed deeply; she could feel the heat in her cheeks. Having nowhere to put it, the wild boy dropped his belongings on the floor. The girl admired him…his defined abdomen, the muscular physique of his chest and arms. Something within her arose…tension built in her chest and stomach.

Xiba looked at her worriedly after examining himself, "What's wrong? Is it bad?" he couldn't find any bruises, but Lea could see himself better than he could. She dropped the damp wash cloth, gulping.

"No…it's not bad at all…" she whispered. He noticed a change in her behavior and grew uncomfortable. Xiba looked away for a second, trying to think of what to say, then glanced back. But when he opened his mouth to speak to her, Lea was suddenly about him, wrapping herself around him sitting on his lap, "Xiba…"

"Lea!" he didn't want to force her off, but he wanted his personal space respected. The aghast boy struggled to figure out what to do with his arms. "Lea, what are you doing?!"

He was so warm… she pressed her cheek onto his shoulder, "Xiba, I've wanted to be with you for so long…" Xiba's eyes widened, this was nuts!

"Lea-"

"Tell me…" she looked into his eyes, "How does a boy of your looks maintain his innocence for this long?" Xiba blushed hugely; he knew what she meant. She opened her mouth and leaned in, but as Xiba flinched backwards the chair toppled over,

"Whoa-AH!" he yelped landing on his back, the table loudly banging into the wooden floors. Lea had rolled over next to him as they fell. She'd pushed the limit; Xiba sneered at her and grabbed his shirt, "I'm going home."

"Xiba! Wait!" she begged, getting on her knees, he slid on his shirt and headed for the door, "Don't be like this!" she called.

"I'm not ready for any of that." He declared, sliding it open. Lea growled,

"Don't be so selfish!" the red-haired boy paused, noting what she had just said…how dare she. He calmly turned around, angrily looking into her eyes,

"You're the one who throws herself on to me so suddenly, then drops the friendship we were making when I pull away…" he stepped towards her, she grimaced, "I was weirded out yes, but I probably would've still been your friend." He exclaimed, "And you dare call _me _selfish." He snarled. Lea bitterly looked at the floor,

"I thought you were different." She mumbled. Xiba nodded,

"I am…but you; you're just like everyone else." Lea cringed and looked back up at him, but he was gone. The door had rolled shut and the monkey boy had left. Lea understood what he meant by that…her selfishness, unable to take a kind rejection, or a surprised one at that.

She then turned to her right to see his fur-pelted jacket with tiger stripes still on the floor, buried underneath the chair. She put a hand over her chest, ashamed of her actions, "Xiba…" she thought to herself, "I'm sorry." She then sobbed into his jacket, she was still a coward. Lea hadn't the courage to go after him and apologize.

As Xiba approached the long hill that led to his home at the bottom, he felt a chill down his spine, it was _cold_. But that's when he stopped for a moment; he'd left his jacket at Lea's, damn it. Oh well. That was the least of his problems…he was a murderer, the village was insane enough to let him go, he was the unwilling inheritor of the Kali Yuga and now, the one person that gave him hope the village wasn't all bad was gone.

Saddened by all of the events that occurred, he finally made up his mind…he was tired of this life. Tired of everyone, the sight of even his own temple sickened him. Xiba rolled open the door, Kilik was sitting on the couch in the living room, he leapt up, "Xiba! Where were you?! I was worried." At least Lea had done him that last favor; his cuts were less noticeable.

"I lost track of time; but I'm home now." Kilik saw the sadness in his fawn eyes. He changed his attitude, trying to be comforting.

"What's wrong?" Xiba looked away. Kilik had a feeling he wasn't going to hear it, but at least he gave it a try,

"Nothing." He lied. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Without another word, he stepped into the bathroom and after a moment, Kilik heard the water shut on. He sighed, what was with his son? He knew that teenagers were aloof but never Xiba; he was always open about how he felt, no matter if he disagreed with it or not. Kilik blamed everything on himself…no, he blamed Xiuqiang…the cause of everything…all of his problems.

At least he had Xiba. His son was safe as long as they were together they thought. Xiba wished he were still a child so he could wrap the small boy around his arms again, shielding him from the darkness of the world. If he tried to hug him now he'd probably pull away and question if he was feeling alright. Kilik chuckled at that thought, easing himself up a bit. Probably just a long day and everything would be better tomorrow. He left into his room to get some rest.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Waking up suddenly, Xiba nearly fell out of his bed, quickly grabbing the side to maintain balance. It was still night fall. He wasn't sure how late it was; or how early for that matter. He sat upright, scratching at his spiky short hair. As Xiba did so, his mother's pendant jingled…he held it up in his palm and gazed at it. He wore the necklace of a murderer.

With anger, he ripped it off of his neck and tossed it across the room. It bounced off against the door of his closet. The enraged boy huffed; he'd had enough of this…the Kali Yuga leaned against the wall next to his bed and in between the book shelf, it was just another weapon to him…a weapon he'd used to bludgeon his master to death. Xiba turned away and held his head…he couldn't stand it anymore. The Ling-Sheng Su Temple had too many horrid memories for him now.

Next to the Kali Yuga he saw the weapon he'd grown fond of over his years of training, Three Karmas. His faithful scarlet staff was there though his best and worst times. Xiba finally made his decision. He untucked himself and stood up out of bed. Xiba packed his belongings into a small sack, a tooth brush with cleansing paste, some food, and a canister of water. He didn't know where he was going with this but he didn't care. He tied the small sack to his rod…but there was one more thing he wanted to do.

Xiba redressed himself in the clothes he wore when he killed his master. The newly cleaned, but torn yellow-gold jacket with short sleeves, the bracelets, the pants tucked into the boots and all, and the crescent moon necklace banged silently against his chest as he stepped out of his room. This was his punishment, Xiba wanted to live on with nothing but his guilt…his sorrows.

As he went to open up the back door, he had to do one last thing. Xiba slowly rolled open the door to his father's room; he was peacefully asleep, facing the doorway. Xiba frowned, feeling even more pain as he did this to his unsuspecting father. "Bye dad." He whispered, "Once I let this go I'll come back." He swore, but then he stepped away from the room, "But that might be a while." Without a single tear even escaping his eyes, he shut the door and fled.

Xiba pounded Three Karmas underneath the boulder that blocked the hole; he then pushed his foot against it, shifting his weight against the rock. His staff kept him balanced while he shoved the large stone to the side. It made loud scratching noises as it did so. Xiba grunted and panted as he repeatedly did so, stopping to catch his breath once in a while. But once the deed was done, for the second time in his life, Xiba left…a different route was in mind for the boy though.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Kilik woke up when he heard a knock at the door. "Hmm?" he moaned as he woke up. He stretched out his back and arms just before rising. There was another knock. "I'm coming I'm coming…" he whined to himself. When he opened the door, it was Lea, a familiar jacket folded up in her arms. She blushed,

"Hello again, sir." Remembering her manners, though she kept a solemn expression.

"Oh, Lea, we meet again…is that-?"

"Xiba's jacket? Yes…I-he…It must've slipped off his waist and didn't notice." She feigned. Kilik thought it sounded unlikely, but he nodded,

"Oh. Well thank you for returning it. I'll go see if he's awake." Before walking deeper into the home, he stopped, "Come in, don't be shy." He smiled, trying to ease the girl's timid persona. She nodded, gingerly walking into the subtle home of her crush. Lea pressed the jacket tightly against her chest.

"Huh." She heard from across the house, Kilik stood outside Xiba's bedroom, "He's not in here." He walked into the kitchen and main living room, "Xiba!" he called. Lea's curiosity got the best of her and she stepped inside, an unmade bed underneath a small, discrete window. Next to it was a bookshelf with a staff (not realizing it was the Kali Yuga) in between the two. The books had all definitely been read; the worn out covers, folded pages and broken spines. Xiba was really a part-time bookworm. His shelves eventually didn't contain enough room, as some books were stacked in a messy pile on top and next to the shelf.

Lea saw one on the floor next to his bed, it had landed open, the pages crinkled and bent over. It must've been the most recent book he was reading; she picked it up and read the cover,

**西游****记**

**Journey to the West**

One of the four great classical novels of China…she's heard of it but hadn't read it. Based on its condition, Xiba must've read it dozens of times. She then saw something create a glare across the room. The glare was from the sun coming in through the window beaming against the teal beads on a pendant…wait, she saw his pendant on the floor in front of his closet, the string had been torn apart. Lea quickly picked it up…she could tell there was a lot of anger released onto the necklace.

"That's weird." She heard Kilik walk in, "I can't find him, maybe he-" he saw the pendant in Lea's palm; she mustered the same concerned look as he. Kilik's heart skipped a beat, "Oh no." The father then dressed hastily in more proper attire and raced to the temple's gates, Lea rushed after him, not having the same lung capacity, she stopped and heaved,

"Wait!" she gasped and panted. The tiger jacket over her arm, she leaned over and pressed her hands onto her knees. She hated running. To Kilik's horror, he was right; the boulder that led to the gaping hole in the wall was shoved aside. As if with great anger, it had been knocked over. Lea caught up,

"Sir! Wait!" Lea caught up to him, sweat ran down her face. She then saw the large hole, "What…when did that-?" she stuttered, "What is-?"

"Lea!" Kilik turned around, grabbing the teenager's shoulders, "Stay here! You'll be safe." He begged, she heeded his warning, but was reluctant,

"What are you-?"

"The Rogues may be returning, and Xiba might be in danger. I don't want to get you into any." Lea froze…her Xiba was in danger. Her terror was probably nothing compared to the father in front of her, "You mustn't tell a single soul that we left! Understand?" He asserted, making sure she was listening. Her heart raced, she wanted to go after him to find the boy…but she didn't have a choice,

"I understand." Without a moment's rest, Kilik left the temple's parameters, the guardian monks not even noticing a disturbance. Lea held the jacket tightly…not Xiba…she panicked, not Xiba.

The wild boy stood at the end of the rickety hang-bridge. It seemed so much higher over the rapid rivers below. Xiba hesitated for a moment, then took his first step onto the wooden architecture. He tried to keep from pressing all of his weight down. Zhen Hang Mountain was just a few meters away.

"XIBA!" He jumped, retracting his step. "What are you doing?!" Kilik was just mere feet away from him, Xiba turned around to face his father,

"What am_ I_ doing? What are you doing?!" he retaliated, knowing this should've been his fate all along. Kilik walked towards him and tugged his arm forward,

"We're going home! I thought I told you this was forbidden!" Xiba snatched his arm back,

"Dad! I'm not a child!"

"You're MY child!" Kilik screamed; worry now in his face…Xiba felt guilt, now understanding his perspective a bit better. "I know you're upset, and I know you feel guilty over Kong Xiuqiang." The red-haired Washu looked away with shame, "But this isn't the solution! Starving yourself won't solve anything!" he shouted, his echoes boomed within the mountain range.

"The only thing you'd do is make my life so much worse Xiba." Kilik shuddered at the thought. He shook heavily at the idea of finding his son's dead body… Xiba shook his head, already making up his mind,

"I have food. And I didn't come here for suicide!" he yelled, "I came here just to cope. I can't handle being around people after I killed someone!" Kilik just didn't understand,

"When are you going to let this go?" Xiba turned away,

"I don't know." He then began to walk across the bridge. Kilik then followed him,

"Xiba!" he grabbed onto the ropes on the side. He looked down; oh god how the vertigo hit him upon looking at the endless fall into the rushing waters…he tightened his grip, but he had an idea to stop his son. Kilik grabbed both sides and shook the bridge left and right.

"Agh! Oh god!" Xiba froze and clung tightly onto the side of the bridge, kneeling down just a bit. Xiba was brave, but that didn't mean he wasn't afraid of _something_. He fussed at Kilik, "DAD! What's wrong with you?!" the wild boy was not amused. Kilik took another step forward; they weren't even half way across the bridge.

"I'm not letting you do this! I promise, if you come back to the temple, things will get better." Xiba lifted himself,

"Dad, I said, I've decided." When he went to turn around, Kilik grabbed both sides again,

"Oh no you don't." he mumbled. Kilik shook the sides violently again. Xiba was nearly knocked over the ropes as he held on for dear life, one hand on Three Karmas, the other on the rope,

"WOULD YOU STOP?!" Xiba's expression suddenly changed to fear. Kilik didn't like this; he turned around and saw a familiar young girl, about 12 with a small sword in her hand. Kilik held onto both ends as he turned himself around,

"Who are you?" the girl didn't look welcoming at all. Xiba stood up,

"Wait a minute…" he winced, just now recognizing her, "Aren't you the girl from the towns?" It was Jan, the sister of the woman Kilik had beheaded. She didn't speak a word as two other menacing strangers emerged from the bushes. "Dad?" Xiba didn't like this; Kilik turned to him, then back at them. He knew who they were…

Jan smiled, and in a high-pitched, frighteningly childish voice she spoke, "We're ba-ack!"

Rogues! Oh no…Xiba tensed up, he prepared himself to unleash his Ling-Sheng Su Style Rod against the foes. Kilik had no defense, he clenched the ropes tightly. A large man approached the bridge. Xiba stood up,

"DAD!" he wasn't going to let them hurt him, but then the father turned around,

"A step underneath him snapped, "AHH! AGH! DAD!" Three Karmas was horizontally holding him up on the bridge, he gripped for dear life as his body dangled from the weak bridge. Kilik forgot about the Rogues and rushed towards Xiba,

"Xiba!" He grabbed his fist; the red-haired boy's knuckles were white as he desperately maintained his hold. Kilik tried to pull him up, Xiba attempting to give him leverage, "Come on! Pull!" the swordsman commanded his son. He quickly turned around to see the Rogues…Jan approached the bridge, she gently dragged her fingers across the ropes of the bridge. Kilik's eyes widened with horror…bloody horror.

Xiba realized his father was no longer trying to pull him up. Jan lifted her sword, Kilik looked at the distance between his struggling son and the rapids below…Xiba's hand was slipping. His heart raced,

"Dad?" he whimpered.

Jan swiped her sword cleanly across the first rope, the bridge slowly tilted to the right. Kilik rolled, not before grabbing hold of the other remaining rope. Xiba screamed out as Kilik grasped Three Karmas just in time. "XIBA! HOLD ON!" he struggled to hold himself and the boy up onto the unstable bridge. Xiba tried to climb up the staff to ease his father's strength. But the Rogues weren't finished.

As Jan went to cut off the other hold of the bridge she paused, watching the father and son struggle. Kilik tried to heft the boy and his rod up, but it was no use with one arm. Xiba's hands continuously slid, he tried to climb up the shiny weapon but it was no use. He hung off the end, "No, No! NO!" His hold wasn't enough and Xiba began to plummet below.

With no words, Kilik let go of the bridge, racing after his precious child. "XIBA!" He fought to catch up to him, the rapid waters below were approaching. "GRAB ON!" Kilik let go of Three Karmas in his other hand and grabbed hold of his son and twisted his body around. If the waters were shallow or rocky, at least Kilik would take the hit.

They were then submerged into the rushing rapids of violent streams down below and were carried off underneath the waters.


	12. Father and Son

Kilik's head bursted through the surface, being violently tugged in and out of the rivers, "Xib-a!" he choked on the water that drowned his lungs. He'd lost his son shortly after crash-landing into the rapids. He was being carried down and unknown trail down the mountain side. Not finding him anywhere, the man shoved his head underwater, trying to fight against the currents.

Nothing but rocks and mounds of bubbles. He rose back up, took a breath and plunged back into the river Oh it was no use, he couldn't even see what was in front of his face, "Xiba!" He called from the surface, "Xiba where are you?!" He panicked. He saw a small landscape where a tree had fallen. If Kilik could grab hold of them and pull himself to shore, he could probably get a better view of where his son would be.

Kilik got a hold of one and heaved himself inward, he could slowly feel the forces of the pulling currents drain from his body as he crawled onto the lands of Zhen Hang Mountain, soaked and cold. He looked out into the waters, "XIBA!" He screamed. He backtracked along the streams, he eventually saw Three Karmas drifting along the rivers. He was the one who'd dropped it. Kilik reached over and grabbed it, trying not to fall in. Then his worst fears became alive in front of him.

He looked out to see a drenched boy in a short sleeved yellow jacket, holding onto a rock. He looked defeated, debilitated. "Xiba!" Kilik had no fear; he stepped into the rushing waters, using Three Karmas to fight against the rapids. Once he retrieved his son, he fought his way back to the mountain. After getting far away from the river where its monstrous roaring of waves couldn't be heard, he fell to his knees and laid Xiba down to his side. He caught his breath. He waited for a response from the Washu but nothing happened.

Kilik panicked, "Xiba." He shook him. Oh god. He rested Xiba's head on his knees, "Xiba!" he smacked his cheek a few times, "Come on! Breathe! Xiba, don't do this to me!" he begged, welting up. The boy remained irresponsive. "Xiba…" he began to break down, he held his son's body close to his, the cold temperatures of the two created warmth as he began to rock back and forth with his child…as if he were an infant again.

"Xiba please!" he whimpered, the tears were unnoticed due to their waterlogged skin. Xiba's body suddenly twitched; his eyes shot open as he began to cough up water violently. "Oh thank god!" Kilik cried, sitting Xiba upright and patting his back, "Oh thank god!" Xiba leaned forward, his lungs emptying the filthy waters of the river.

He finally caught his breathe, shaking his head to try and focus his thoughts. His head hurt; he must've hit it, "Dad? You okay?" he asked but he was then immured in his father's arms, he'd never felt more suffocated before. Kilik grasped the back of his jacked, his other hand on the back of Xiba's head, pressing it into his shoulder,

"Oh thank god!" he continue to sob…Xiba had never seen him this way.

"Dad?" he put his arms around him, trying to comfort him, "Dad, I'm here." He embraced him.

"Oh thank god! Xiba!" the crimson-haired staff-user couldn't take it anymore; he buried his face into his father's shoulder,

"Dad, I'm fine." He reassured.

"My little boy." Kilik broke down into his son's shoulder, tears and secretion trailed down the boy's soaked clothes. Not once in the 16 years he'd been alive had Xiba seen his father this upset…but they were together, and they were all they had now. And now Xiba was the only person who could comfort him.

"I'm here dad." He promised, "I'm here." Once the two recomposed themselves and figured out their situation, they found a small, quiet spot where they dried off. They'd taken off their shirts and hung them on a branch nearby. Xiba leaned against said tree, having nothing better to do. He looked off into the sun as it warmed his body and dried his bones of the water.

Kilik was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out how they could protect their village. The Rogues had returned, or at least had been reincarnated. He didn't know how but they had to find a way around the rivers to get back to Ling-Sheng Su. The wild boy shook his head and sneered, annoyed with his father's anxiousness.

"You know, I sure am glad falling off a bridge and into the rivers of death was on my to do list today!" he playfully pumped his fist, faking cheerfulness, "I can't wait to go home and check that RIGHT OFF!" Xiba sarcastically commented. Kilik groaned,

"Xiba, not now!" he fussed, trying to think. But the adolescent stood up,

"Dad. If you hadn't followed me, none of this would've happened!" he argued.

"You don't know that!" he pointed a finger, lecturing him.

"I'm pretty damn sure!" Xiba was angry, angry at Kilik, angry at the village, angry at himself even. His father wasn't in the mood for fighting, he sighed,

"Look, none of this matters now okay! Now right now, I have to think of how I'm gonna get back to the village and stop the Rogues!" Xiba raised a suspicious brow,

"What do you mean _you_?" Kilik sighed, putting a hand over his mouth, "Dad? Are you seriously suggesting leaving me here while you go fight?" Kilik nodded, ashamed. Xiba scoffed, "Really?! You seriously think I can't handle fighting off some stupid Rogues?"

"Xiba, it's not-" the outspoken boy walked closer to his father,

"Didn't I get the Kali Yuga?" he hated being thought of as weak, "Didn't I push that rock aside on my own?"

"Xiba, you're not-"

"And lastly," he spoke sinisterly, "Didn't I have the courage to confess what I did to Master?" he snarled, having to breathe on that last part, still unhinged. Kilik swiped his palm down his face,

"Xiba, it's not that you're weak, it's that-"

"It's what?" he didn't care the argument was worthless, he was just so full of rage over his mistakes, "It's that I can't handle it?"

"It's that I can't lose you again!" Kilik cried out, making Xiba regret everything he'd just said. With a face of guilt, Xiba eyed his father, "Not again…" he sighed. Oh the knife that had staked his heart when he thought his son was gone…the worst part would've been having to live on without him. Xiba was his sole reason of living.

The crimson-haired boy blinked, mentally taking back his words of irritation, "Father, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." The swordsman disregarded, "We just need to figure out what's going on." Xiba looked at the sky; it was going to be late soon.

"Well, one thing's for sure; we won't be going home tonight." Kilik nodded in agreement,

"That's right…maybe we should build a fire." He turned towards his son, who smiled in agreeance.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

When nightfall hit, the mosquitoes were out on duty, the crickets serenaded the stars and the moon, the wind occasionally caused the trees to stir. Zhen Hang Mountain was nothing more than an isolated, uninhabited place…even though people were sent to die there; at least it was a peaceful place. Xiba and Kilik's clothes were finally dry and providing them with warmth on the cold night.

"Dad…" Xiba had been bothered this whole time, "You know…you really had me worried earlier. When you were crying." Kilik flinched, trying to focus on the fire, "I've never seen you get so emotional."

Kilik looked into his son's eyes, the two had matching sets of brown, copper eyes, "Xiba, like I told you." He paused, gulping, "The thought of losing you tore me apart."

"I know, but…you blamed yourself!" he fixed his posture, crossing his legs, "It wasn't your fault, I was the one that ran away!"

"Because I wasn't there to guide you!" Kilik looked away shamefully. "I should've protected you from the world's evil…" Xiba nodded,

"You can't protect me forever dad…" he started, but he didn't want to see his father break down again, "Besides, I should've just talked it out with you."

Kilik sighed, "I knew what you were feeling." He admitted, he then smirked and looked at his red-haired son, "I know everything about you; what you're thinking, what you're feeling." Xiba was slightly creeped out,

"Dad…"

"Humph. I even know all your ticklish spots." He felt playful, but Xiba crossed his arms,

"I'm not ticklish…" Kilik raised a brow, he then flexed his fingers rapidly on Xiba's neck, he twitched, "Ah! HEHE! HA! Okay! Okay!" he laughed, Kilik then switched to his underarms, partially shielded by the sleeves of his jacket, "Stop! Okay! HAHA! OKAY!" He begged. "STOP! Stop~!" Xiba smacked his hand away, "Will you stop?!" Kilik chuckled, Xiba never, _never _enjoyed being tickled.

"You know Xiba…" Kilik began, "The first time you demonstrated your staff-use in front of me; you were so proud of yourself…only because I praised you." Xiba looked up at his father, raising a brow,

"Oh yeah?" he couldn't remember the first time he'd used a staff; he barely remembered last year's training! The man chuckled,

"Every time I'd turn to talk to Edge Master, you'd stop and wait for me to watch you." He rested his cheek into his hand, "It was cute to see." Xiba smirked,

"I guess I was an…interesting child." He laughed.

"You were adorable." Kilik grinned. After a moment's silence, Kilik began snickering to himself. The more he looked at the fire, the more uncontrollable his giggling became. Xiba thought it was some sort of break down,

"Dad…?" he picked up his staff,

"Heh! Don't worry Xiba," he waved a hand at the young man, "I just remembered a time…when you were six." He smiled gently, "Whenever Edge Master was around, he'd always say 'Hellfire' whenever he was mad." Xiba turned towards him, scooting his bottom across the ground,

"Yeah?" He rested his arms atop his knees, holding them with his arms.

"Well, I always told you you weren't allowed to say that because it was a bad word." Xiba didn't know where this was going…but it was probably embarrassing. "Well, one day when I was walking you home from class, you asked me in this fussy tone if you could say a bad word." He snorted, "And then you said," he raised his voice's pitch to match the six year old Xiba's "Fire! Fire fire fire!"

Xiba laughed. Kilik joined him, "And you threw the cutest tantrum I've ever seen…you didn't seem to get the concept that 'hell' was the bad word." Xiba rubbed his head,

"God…that must've been funny for you." Since they were on the topic, he may as well ask, "Hey dad? When did people start calling me 'monkey boy'?" Kilik loved that memory, "It kind of caught on when people saw the way I climbed trees."

"Actually, Xiba…I started calling you that when you were about four years old." He pointed out proudly. Huh, not once did Xiba remember him using that nickname,

"Really? It's been that long?" Kilik nodded.

"Whenever I wasn't looking, you'd be climbing on tables, counter tops…" he sat upright, "But where it really came from was every time I'd come home." He thought about when he mentored the students as a substitute for the other monks. Edge Master would take the day off to babysit the toddler.

"Rawr!" the young child put up his plushy dinosaur up to the elderly man. He acted terrified "Rawr!" he screeched again.

"Oh no!" he cowered in fear, "There's a dinosaur in here!" The four year old lowered his toy,

"Grandpa! It's just me!" he smiled. He then began ruffling the boy's wild hair.

"Don't scare me like that!" he sighed with relief. The door rolled open then shut,

"I'm home." The boy leapt up,

"Daddy!" he was suddenly pounced by a toddler, he latched himself on to him, "I missed you!" Kilik tried to pull him off of his legs to life him up but he grasped onto him tightly. Kilik continued his explanation,

"Whenever I'd come home, you'd attach yourself to me and wouldn't let go." The two smiled, "I told you that you were my monkey boy." Xiba smiled, his eyes began to feel heavy. He was getting tired. But Kilik was enjoying these little stories…he remembered all those memories and kept them close.

"Hey dad?" Xiba thought it was his turn, "Remember how whenever fall season came and it would get cool outside?" Kilik nodded, it happened every year! Xiba shook his head, trying to wake up, "I remember you'd always sit outside to read whenever the weather was like that. And I remember always sitting beside you reading my little picture books and stuff."

Kilik tussled his son's hair, "I remember too…I remember one specific time, when you smacked your book shut and announced to me, 'I finished mine before you daddy!'" the two had never realized how close they were…their love for each other…if that was power, then nothing could separate them.

"Xiba, there's something I should tell you…" he suddenly grew saddened. Xiba fixed his posture, trying not to doze off, "When you were a child…Kong Xiuqiang was the one who pressured me into putting you in the academy." Xiba's eyes widened, "I wasn't so sure…but he kept telling me to do so…he said you had a destiny to fulfill." Kilik frowned, "I took the blame, saying I wanted you to be a warrior."

Xiba clenched Three Karmas, "I don't know what destiny he had in mind for you…but I'm sorry." He heard something slam into the ground. Xiba had thrusted his staff into the grounds below,

"FIRE!" he yelled in a childish voice, though he was genuinely angry. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" he continued. Kilik joined in with a smile,

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"Fire! Fire!"


	13. Origins

With the heavy blanket of darkness over the two, nightfall was at its highest peak. Nothing could stir the two exhausted warriors. Xiba was lying on his side; he'd faced himself away from the campfire, unable to fall asleep beforehand. Kilik was upright, leaning against a tree not far from the boy at all. He wanted to keep an eye on him; his young son may be growing into a strong young man, but Kilik liked the feeling of being needed. At least by his own child.

The swordsman's head had been bobbing for the past hour or so, trying to keep awake. If the Rogues didn't head for the temple and came after them, no way in hell would Kilik let them kill Xiba in his sleep. He thought of Kong Xiuqiang's words to him when the wild boy was first born and in Xianglian's arms.

"Kilik, may I have a word with you?" the man had been gazing deeply at their newborn offspring, April 20th, 1592. It had only been a few days since that cherished date, 16 years before the innocent infant would know true fear and hatred. Kilik turned his attention from his family to the old man at the doorway. Xianglian, who rested in the bed, raised a brow.

"Sir… our son was just born, with all due respect, I'd like to have a moment-"

"**Now **Kilik." He boomed, intimidating the young father before him. Xianglian was worried, they were waiting for Xiba's eyes to open, they wanted to know if he'd gotten his father's fawn brown eyes, or his mother's emerald ones. It was a moment the couple wanted to share together. But without a choice, the original holder of the Kali Yuga stepped outside of the room. Kong Xiuqiang took note of Xianglian's worried look before sliding the door shut.

"Make this quick Xiuqiang, my son was just born a few days ago!"

"That light that was casted the other night… it's unsettling." Kong Xiuqiang was bringing it up again, the Evil Seed. A strange light that emanated demonic power beamed up high into the dark sky. Those who weren't of pure-heartedness were driven mad and sent on a killing spree to obtain the source of the light. The Ling-Sheng Su Temple referred to them as the Rouges; a clan of malevolent, vicious, merciless killers. "I've been hearing rumors that the Rogues are bordering the Shaanxi province!"

Kilik twitched with slight fear. Xiuqiang scratched his chin, his hair that had turned gray long ago, was becoming a shimmering white, "The villagers are starting to worry, so we must take precautions. You, the holder of Kali Yuga must lead our fighters if they attack!"

"But Master." The man stepped forward, "We are a hidden temple! It can't be a possibility that they'll find us!" he was more worried for his son than himself. Poor Xiba was born into an era of turmoil.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." There was a pause, Xiuqiang tightened his headband, "I didn't want to worry Xianglian, but there's been a rumor between us monks that part of the evil energy that created the light came from within the temple... that Edge Master claimed to have sensed it coming from within someone you are fond of." The infirmary was clouded with fright, there was only one person Kilik was fond of aside from the elderly warrior… and she was in the room cradling their newborn.

"While it's hard for me to say this… you must prepare yourself to kill that person if said rumor is true."

"That can't be right!" Kilik announced, "Xianglian wields the Dvapara-Yuga around her neck. You gave it to her because she was pure!"

"The Krita-Yuga was also given to a man we deemed 'pure'." The man reminded him with an icy tone. "You must think of this for the sake of your child." The master always knew how to hit home for each and every warrior, and Kilik's heart skipped a beat the moment he realized his own wife could endanger their child. With that, Kong Xiuqiang nodded and walked past him, "I leave the decision to you."

Heavy, condensing pressure began to crush Kilik's soul… his thoughts could not be eased nor soothed by anything. It was strange to think that at the time neither of them knew that the newborn in the room would bring Xiuqiang's demise. "Kilik!" His wife's voice called, "Come quick!" he rolled the door open, a bright, bubbly smile on Xianglian's face, "His eyes are brown." He rushed towards the two to see his son's droopy but bright copper eyes look curiously around the room. "He's going to look just like you." She giggled.

The man didn't respond; he could only grimace at the adoring mother at his side; she continued to coo at Xiba while Kilik found himself in an intense internal confliction. When a mere few weeks had passed, worried chatter of the Rogues approaching was becoming an issue amongst the villagers. Kilik and Xianglian, though hailed for being the holders of the two remaining sacred treasures, tried to keep a low profile in the midst of this troubled situation.

The new parents were still readjusting. Kilik fiddled with Kali Yuga as Xiba babbled and made small-baby conversation with his father. It had distracted him for a moment as he giggled. "Really?" Kilik lifted him from under his arms, just before getting him into a cradling position.

"Ah… Ah-be…" the three week old infant bubbled.

"Is that so?" he couldn't help but lose himself in his son's delicate eyes. The warrior part of Kilik was lost while the instinctual father was out in the open. Xiba had just started getting some hair, it appeared a dark red color, Xianglian claimed that her aunt had auburn hair, which explained Xiba's inherited trait. Speaking of whom, Xianglian was around the corner, toying with the stone pendant around her neck. The Dvapara-Yuga placed many of her other jewels, like the anklet her mother passed onto her before she died, as well as the beaded necklace that Xiba would receive as a gift from Edge Master years later.

After another baby-sentence was uttered, Kilik allowed his son's soft fingers to close around his index finger, "You're gonna be a talker when you grow up, huh?" still teething, he pulled the finger into his mouth and sucked on the end, "Heh, and maybe a piggy too." The gentle man smirked. Kilik gently pulled his finger out from the drooling infant's mouth. A smile formed on his face, as if agreeing with him. Xianglian listened to the conversation, not wanting to be a part of it.

"Ah…" the baby Xiba yawned. Kilik walked over towards his crib.

"Looks like it's getting close to bedtime." He whispered, gently laying the bundle of innocence down onto the soft cushions of blankets and pillows, "I let you stay up late tonight huh?" Xianglian grimaced, "Why don't we say goodnight to mommy, huh?" she heard him whisper, but that's when she stepped inside anyway. Kilik's smile was morphed into neutrality upon seeing Xianglian's… unhinged expression. He glanced back and forth between his son and the woman before him.

"Why don't we say goodnight to our son together?" Xianglian shook her head and stormed out the room… this wasn't like her. With a sigh of worry, he heard the front door roll open.

"Hello?" Edge Master often paid a visit once he was done training the night classes. Footsteps approached the nursery, which would in time be Xiba's main bedroom, "Kilik?" he quickly ceased his words when he saw him putting the boy to sleep.

"Don't worry, he's asleep. What's wrong?" he spoke softly, they left the room.

"The guards at our gates said they heard footsteps approaching… they also claimed to hear voices coming from within the mountain range."

"No… that's not possible." Edge Master gave a look of genuine fear.

"I believe the Rogues may have found us." Kilik froze with fear, Xianglian meanwhile sat on the sofa, looking at Kali Yuga on the floor below her. Menacingly she couldn't stop gazing into its… almighty existence.

"What do we do? Are the villagers safe?!"

"We…" he began, referring to all of the other monks as well, "…escorted them safely to their homes; the trained men are keeping watch in every corner to protect them."

"Does this mean my son's safe too?" Kilik stuttered. With his thick beard forming a grin, Edge Master nodded.

"Completely." Kilik sighed with relief.

"Thank god…" but the troubles weren't over… they had only begun, as he watched his wife slowly lift the staff, "Xianglian?" the two men looked at her curiously, "What are you doing?" she stared into the crimson and gold rod.

"They say the Rogues won't find us if they can't sense evil energy…" they were confused, "With this, you and I can make the perfect holy weapon and drive them away!" she ripped Dvapara-Yuga off of her neck. Her intentions seemed benevolent, but something just didn't seem right, especially to Edge Master.

"Xianglian, it doesn't work like that."

"How do you know old man?" Kilik and his mentor were caught off guard from that interjection; normally Xianglian respected the monks, "It doesn't matter if they come or not… we will have the power… all the power in the temple to make us into an empire!" she smiled wickedly. She seemed to be forgetting about the baby asleep in the room nearby.

"Do you hear yourself?!" Kilik snatched his weapon from her, "What's gotten into you lately? You've hardly spent any time with the baby, you lay about the house all day, now this…" Xianglian lowered her head.

"It's because of that brat that this plan took so damn long!" Kilik's blood ran cold, a shiver even went down Edge Master's spine; what kind of twisted mother would say such a thing? "The moment we received the two remaining treasures, we were destined for the ultimate power!" her words were driven by some sort of madness brought on by the power of the two treasures, "It was fate that we met, fell in love, and were married! That baby was just a flaw in our destinies!"

"How could you say that?" Kilik growled, snarling his teeth, "How dare you claim our child is meaningless in our lives? He is the most important thing in our lives right now!" he roared.

"Alright you two!" Edge Master created a barrier between the young couple. "Enough of this… Xianglian, I'll be taking back the Dvapara-Yuga for a while." She flinched, "Perhaps being surrounded by all of this energy has been overwhelming for your mental state. Once I see you've recovered, I'll bring it back to-" Xianglian shoved him aside, startling the two men.

With that, she grabbed the staff and fled from the house. "Xianglian!" Kilik yelled. Then from the bedroom nearby, they heard soft whines, which escalated into wailing. "Xiba…"

"I'll take care of him." Edge Master stood back up. "Go find your wife and find out what the hell's gotten into her!" without another moment's rest, he dashed out of the house. After pacing up the mountain into the deserted towns, he saw her with the two treasures; she was on her knees in the middle of the quarter grounds.

"Xianglian." He slowly walked towards her, "Hand me the staff." He calmly held out his hand.

"Never!" she hissed. "This is our fate…" she began to lift the two into the air… Kilik's heart jumped.

"Xianglian, wait!" He had an idea, "We can make it together," Kiliik suggested, his heart racing and his mind going back and forth to the smile on his wife's face when she had seen their son's eyes for the first time and the day he had been warned she may have been cursed. He spoke a lie to her, hoping she'd be fooled and hoping that the man's words couldn't be true. She was stressed, maybe angered, but to be a danger to his son, that wasn't possible. Not the woman who loved their child so much, this couldn't be her.

"You'll do that?" She asked, eyes widened. "For me?"

Kilik could hear the hope in her voice, a tinge of the woman he loved. There was no way he could do that, but for now, he needed to keep the lie up. Maybe, she'd come to her senses and tomorrow, they would laugh and then she would scorn him for ever doubting him.

"You're a liar," she muttered icily with a smile on her face. "You just want to change destiny!" She cried out as she backed away from him, excitement and fear in her eyes.

"No, listen," Kilik calmly said, his voice betraying how he felt inside. To be honest, he was scared-scared of losing the woman he loved, scared of his son not having a mother, scared that her blood would be on his hands. The Evil Seed couldn't have her; she was his. "This isn't you. You haven't spent time with your son, and though you're saying this, this isn't what you want."

Her eyes went cold. "I'm not foolish enough to defy our destiny. I thought you would want the same, to be strong, to make our nation into an empire. I thought you'd at least want the best for our child, but that idea was for naught. The child really is a useless tool that made a spot in our destiny." The woman held out her arms wide with the two treasures in hand.

"XIANGLIAN! NO!" He tried to stop her, but she had slammed the staff and stone together, a large, demonic, red light engulfed her and kissed the night sky. Kilik was knocked to the ground from the shaking energy it caused. The Rogues just down the mountain trail saw the beauty among them.

"THERE IT IS!" they wanted whatever created that powerful light. Kilik could still see his wife in the middle of the cyclone like aura. He tried to claw his way to her, heat and flames snapped at him as he did so. Kilik finally reached Xianglian; her skin was like ash, as it melted off of her bones, revealing a thick matter of bloody epidermis underneath. He grabbed her wrists, trying to pry the two treasures apart.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" he screamed. But the monstrous form of Xianglian fought back. As he pried the duo beings apart, the light ceased. The Dvapara-Yuga then shattered and fell into pieces on the ground below them. Staggering backwards just a few steps, the woman fell supine on the ground and her body rotten at a god speed; as Kilik even watched her bones become ash within a matter of seconds.

"ROGUES!" the men from afar screamed.

"ATTACK THEM QUICKLY!"

"RETALIATION!" Kilik was catching his breath as he looked at the distance ahead of him, the long battle awaited him… he looked at Kali Yuga bitterly, squeezed it, then rushed into the fight.

**Souls_&_Swords: Thank you NeoMiniTails for the help with this chapter and all the support! =)**


	14. The New Plan

When the bloody night was over, the father, battered and exhausted returned home to his newborn after that. He cradled him tightly in his bed, unsure if Rogues were still running around or not. The baby Xiba was at ease, moving his arms about, babbling. Kilik's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to sleep; but it wouldn't come to him. His son's cooing was the only thing that was keeping him sane. The horrid reality of losing his own life, being the holder of the last sacred treasure, and now a widowed father, who hadn't a clue how to take care of an infant.

"Un, ba ba…" the child put his hand into his mouth, the ivories pushing through his gums made it sore. Kilik shook himself back into reality, gently taking his hand from his mouth and allowing Xiba to nibble on his finger.

"There… that's probably better." He grimaced, "Xiba… you're all I've got now." He brushed the little red stubbles of hair on his head, "But at least I have _anything _right now." The swordsman was exhausted, delirious even… but he knew in his heart that the child in his arms was listening, "I need you, Xiba." The infant blinked its large amber eyes, "I need you to teach me how to be a father." Kilik for the first time that night, smiled, "And along the way… you can learn how to be a son."

"Hnn…" the baby smiled.

"I love you Xiba." The father began to welt up, "I promise… I will _always _protect you."

With a slight grunt, Kilik woke up. He was hunched over with his cheek in his palm. His vision adjusted to the early dawn of China. He must've dozed off without even realizing it. Light filtered through the thickets of trees, the early birds were singing softly. The valor man shook his head, trying to wake up, his mid-chin length brown hair was a mess, but something else was wrong. "Huh?" he stood up, "Xiba?"

Where could he have gone? There weren't any boot prints for him to follow, Kilik grew tense, "Xiba?" he called out. But upon farther inspection, he saw far off to his right his teenage son standing at the brink of a cliff. His wild red hair and torn golden jacket were bobbed up and down by the breeze. Raising a brow, wondering what he was doing, Kilik approached him and stood next to him. The young man was in awe, entranced by the cotton-candy pink clouds above, the orange sky and mountain range that slowly faded into a vignette into the distance.

"It's beautiful…" he mumbled. Xiba had longed to see the world, and Zhen Hang Mountain was probably the farthest he'd ever reach from the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. Despite he was fated to never leave China, let alone Shaanxi, he took whatever he could get. Kilik noted the reds, purples, and yellows of the sky.

"Kind of like your jacket; the colors." He commented. Xiba nodded.

"Oh yeah, the dragon on the back." Kilik snickered.

"That's actually not a dragon." Xiba turned towards him.

"Oh, it's not?"

"Mm mm." he shook his head, "You probably couldn't tell because of how torn it is at the bottom, but it's actually a phoenix painted on the back." Xiba's crescent moon necklace bopped against his chest as he turned his body towards his father.

"Really?" he raised a brow, with all these years of owning it, Kilik finally figured it out.

"Yeah. The phoenix represents the sun… a new beginning." Xiba didn't feel like it at that moment, but the next time he took it off he'd be eyeing the painted lines of purple, red, and blue that created the mythological bird. But he was enlightened; he'd already learned something new that day.

"So… every time the sun rises… so does the phoenix?" Xiba wondered aloud, knowing that once he returned home he needed a book on Greek mythology.

"So to say." Kilik crossed his arms, admiring the view once more, "But no matter, it's always beautiful to see." Xiba grinned, happy that even in situations like theirs, the father and son could still share sentimental moments together.

"You know dad… I took a better look earlier." He took Three Karmas off of his back and looked at the golden, metal end of it, "We do kind of look alike; we have the same noses." Kilik inched his head closer to his, pointing out to Xiba.

"And cheek bones… and eyes." He smirked, "If your hair was like mine it'd be easier to tell." Xiba snorted, "Maybe you should grow it out." The adolescent playfully pushed him aside.

"No way."

"I think you should!" the two then nudged each other back and forth, laughing in blissful peace of the moment. Later back at their small campsite, Xiba removed his toothbrush and paste from his bag and did his morning ritual. The paste actually tasted better without the water drowning it out. Meanwhile, Kilik was preparing himself for a long journey. He was going to find a way around the mountain range back to the temple. If the Rogues hadn't made it yet, he could surely catch up with them in time.

But he had no weapons… looks like he was going to have to improvise. "Ah… minty." Xiba mumbled to himself with a clean smile. "I wonder…" feeling curious and childish he dabbed a bit of the paste onto his tongue. After smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, the wild boy put more. Who needed a good breakfast when he had this he thought.

His father stepped up behind him, "Xiba." He froze, trying to swallow the thick paste, "I'm going to find a way around the mountains so I don't have to cross the river. Once I find out what's going on with the Rogues, I'll come back for you." He couldn't respond, not with a mouth full of stinging, refreshing mint.

"Mm... Mm hm!" He moved his tongue around, trying to get the paste down his throat.

"By the way, try not to ingest the toothpaste, it's toxic."

"GAH!" Xiba choked, trying to get it out of his throat. "PLEH! UGH!" he spit. Kilik giggled uncontrollably.

"Gotcha!" Xiba wiped his mouth with his arm, not amused. But now was time to be serious, Kilik prepared for the harsh treck and enduring battle, "Alright… I guess I'm off."

"Dad." Xiba halted him, turning the man around, "Are you sure you don't need me to come?" he didn't even have a weapon. And while Kilik wouldn't admit it, he was aging… he wasn't as fast as he used to be, despite his many talents.

"Don't worry about me, you have food in your pack, right?" hopefully the fruit Xiba had brought hadn't soured or rotten overnight. The 16 year old nodded, "And keep your weapon with you, you don't know if someone banished a long time ago could be wandering around here." Kilik mustered a serious expression, "Look out for yourself, okay?" it was a command, not a suggestion.

"Okay."

And just like that, Xiba was alone on Zhen Hang Mountain. Nothing but his trusted weapon to accompany him. Not knowing what to do, nor wanting to waste his energy, he leaned against the tree and looked at the pale blue sky. Spring was nearing its end as the sun seemed to be getting larger every day; the weather grew more humid and hot. Xiba cursed himself for wearing the long pants and boots. The ends being tucked into the boots only made it worse. Maybe he could at least take off his shirt; after all, no one was going to see him, right?

Ugh, he didn't even feel like that effort. Rolling Three Karmas in a circle with his fingers, Xiba had a feeling the only thing he could die of that day was boredom, but then he heard the bushes nearby rustling. Like a deer in the headlights, Xiba grew tense on guard; his head darted in the direction of the noise. Slowly rising to his feet and getting into a stance with his rod, he prepared himself.

But he had to make sure something was there. Looking to his left and right, the monkey boy saw a rock at his feet and picked it up. He aimed carefully and heaved it forward.

_Clunk!_

"OW!" a female voice shouted. Immediately realizing who it was, Xiba gasped.

"Lea?!" she emerged from the forestry, rubbing the new sore on her head.

"I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have come onto you like that!" she scratched her fingers into her thick, dark brown hair, "You didn't have to hit me!"

"I didn't know it was you!" he stated, irritated to see her, "What are you doing here anyway?" The Washu went back into her timid state, blushing. She'd been hiding in that spot because she couldn't think of how to explain herself.

"I… um…" she held out a tiger fur-coat in her other hand, "You forgot your jacket at my place…"

…

…

Xiba pinched the bridge of his nose with a disgruntled sigh, "I know that's not why you came down here, Lea." She threw down the jacket in anger.

"What did you want me to do?! Stay home and worry if you were alive or not after you fell off that bridge?" Xiba flinched, staring at her with shock. Lea covered her mouth.

"You saw us fall off?" Lea remembered her tears the day before.

"Even though your dad told me to stay… I was too worried about you, I needed to know if you were okay. By the time I caught up to him… I saw you two dangling off the side of the bridge."

_No… No! NO! _Xiba had screamed. But the two preoccupied with their plunge into the rapids below did they not hear the shrieking voice call out, "XIBAAAA!" Lea had kept hidden in the trees, out of sight of the strange people whom cut the ropes. Looking desperately over the edge of the cliff, waiting for either one of their heads to pop out, nothing happened. Unfortunately, she couldn't break down just yet, as the three Rogues were approaching. She quickly darted into hiding.

"Humph, that takes care of that." A large, grisly looking man interjected. Jan, their seemingly leader nodded.

"Yeah, but that's not all. This is probably the path way back to the Kali Yuga. My memory's vague… but I remember this bridge." So they were reincarnated! But how? And the girl Jan, she was so young… yet already so corrupted. This was not good! "Let's get the others!" There were more?! "Tell them that we're headed up the right trail." The villains then returned to their massive camp site at the towns below.

"I just refused to accept that you were dead… so I went around the mountain trails!" she remembered how tired her legs and feet were, yet she continued anyway. Despite her hair was tied into a ponytail, her bangs stuck to her forehead from sweat. "I wanted to make sure you were okay… otherwise I never would've forgiven myself!"

Xiba was now even more baffled, "Forgive yourself? For what?" Lea cringed with guilt.

"I'm the one that drove you out of the village…" Xiba's eyes widened, "It's my fault that you no longer felt safe there… I wanted to at least apologize to you." She teared up, but she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Lea, no… you didn't drive me out; everything else did." He reassured her, full of resentment. She wiped her tears, which had barely started.

"You mean that?" The crimson-haired warrior nodded, with a smile.

"I do." With soft, sanguine cheeks and pink lips, the girl before him smiled, looking down with her sapphire eyes, he then had an idea, "Hey, while we're here… why don't we go wash up?" there had to be a river nearby. The two were drenched with sweat.


	15. Fun With Lea

The two found a cluster of waterfalls that led into a shallow, submerged with a pool of fresh river water within the mountain. The grand scene of surging water and the calming roars of the falls nearly distracted them from their intended goal. They knelt near the edge. Xiba began digging out puddles of water to wash himself as Lea cupped the clear waters into her hands and soaked her face with it. "Oh my god…" she sighed, dipping her hands in for more, "This is the best!"

Xiba felt refreshed and hydrated once again. He then saw the distracted, vulnerable girl… he smirked, getting a childish urge, and picked up his staff. Lea leaned in just a bit farther to get more water when, "Poke!" he belted, nudging her in to the pool with Three Karmas.

"Wha~!" she fell in head first then twisted and squirmed to her feet. Her bangs fell low over her eyes; her ponytail was straggled and tangled from the waters. It was freezing as well.

"Sorry!" he laughed, "I couldn't resist!" he stood up, admiring his work. Lea whipped her head backwards, the force swiped her bangs from her eyes and she pursed her lips.

"Oh yeah?" she grabbed Xiba's ankle and dragged him in.

"Whoa-DAH!" he was flipped over in the same fashion that Lea had fell into. Upon rising from the cold, yet serene waters, he shook his head to keep his wild hair, now even more so, out of his eyes.

"Payback!" she pointed out. The two were on their feet. Xiba nodded.

"Oh, it's on!" the two then splashed each other with the water, not only were they clean, but their clothes were soaked and going to stick to them for a while. Xiba was getting fierce, as Lea seemed to be water resistant! He finally used his might to drench her, but then she stopped, covering her eyes.

"Ow!" she moaned, Xiba worried, wading towards her, his pants were now heavier due to the water's weight being absorbed.

"Lea! I'm sorry, you okay?" he went to consult her, she had her head titled down.

"That was way too hard!"

"Let me see." He must've gotten her in the eye, but as he removed her hand from her face, she, like a European fountain, gracefully spit water from her lips in one single pucker. It struck Xiba in the face. She ended by grinning mischievously.

"Clever…" he raised a brow. "But you're just lucky, I let you win!"

Lea scoffed, "Yeah right!"

"Don't believe me? Want a rematch?" he joked. Lea huffed up.

"Oh you're on!" the two were about to go at it again but the two stopped and looked into each other's glistening eyes. The next thing Xiba knew, his eyes were closed and his lips were locked with Lea's. The repeated smacking noises from the two's mouths were exciting as they couldn't stop. Gently leaning in and pulling away. Xiba held her closely, the kiss remaining where it stood. He stroked her wet hair. Eyes shooting open, Xiba tugged away.

Lea was amazed herself… a heavy feeling filled her breast as her cheeks grew hot, "I… I'm sorry." Was all she could think of. Xiba still held her shoulders gently. He shook his head.

"Don't be… I kind of liked it." He nervously chuckled. Lea smiled… for six years she'd dreamt of this moment.

"I did too." Though, being freezing cold and soaking wet in a pool filled by a waterfall wasn't in her fantasies… this was better than them.

"Then why did we stop?" he grinned. Lea pulled herself in closer, holding him tightly as they pressed their lips against one another's once more. During that time, Kilik had found his way back up the hidden trail towards his village. He made haste, he had to hurry! He had to make sure no one was hurt!

"Hey Jan!" he froze, swinging himself into the rubble; he'd walked right into their camp site! The man that had called her name, Jarvis, approached her. He was abnormally tall, "Have the scouts returned yet?"

"Not yet!" she was sharpening her blade. She spoke in such a high-pitched, whiny voice.

"Damn! Well they better hurry up." Kilik gently leaned forward, trying to listen, "The sooner they figure out this is the Ling-Sheng Su Temple or not, the sooner we can find the Kali Yuga!"

"And we will!" she bit back. She rose to her feet, "When my mother told me about how my half-sister Tira was killed here… I swore vengeance on her behalf." Kilik cringed with fright and realization; THAT'S who she was! "Then when I did some…" she giggled, "Dirty research on the Kali Yuga; I found out it can absorb whatever energy its wielder desires…"

"So what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, idiot, that it can be a host for the Evil Seed…" she sinisterly smiled. Kilik's eyes widened with horror, "We can shine its light like a beacon once more and obliterate anything that stands in our way!" rapid footsteps alerted the swordsman, but he acted too slowly, as he was grabbed by his hair and arm. The scouts had returned and jerked Kilik out of hiding. Jan recognized him, "Well well! Look at what the cat dragged in!"

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

The hot sun glazed against the two adolescents as they left the riverbed and wandered about the mountain. It dried the two, but that didn't change how uncomfortable their clothes were making them, stuck to their bodies like cement. Lea's hair was wavier when it dried, not being brushed directly after that is. Xiba's hair was always spiky and wild in nature; nothing appeared changed.

"Hey, Xiba?" they were leaning against two different trees, trying not to look at each other; they had both taken their shirts off to dry. Though Lea wore a white tank top underneath, it clung to her body like a serpent and didn't appear modest, "What's it like using a staff?" she had brought her sword Qing-Long with her. As she admired the lightning pattern blazed into the blade, it made her wonder, "I've only been trained with a sword… I assume it's very different."

"You bet it is." Xiba rolled Three Karmas on the ground back and forth with his boot. "It requires a lot of force." The sword required flexibility and speed, the staff required strength and coordination. Lea sat upright.

"Do you think you could give me a lesson?" she peered over from her tree, trying to eye the shirtless, muscular boy. He went to look at her but quickly halted himself and turned back away, "I want to see how you do it!" he looked at Three Karmas; he had no idea where to start. He tried to think back on his first lesson… but he was only three years old at the time.

"Uh… okay. Just give me a sec." he grabbed the damp jacket and put slipped it back on, slowly pinning the strings together to close it, leaving two open so the neckpiece didn't choke him. Lea slid on her short sleeved shirt and stood up. Xiba handed her the staff. She dropped her arms when she grasped it.

"Hng… it's heavy!" she tried to lift it. Xiba grabbed her hand and helped her out.

"Yeah… that's why it's deadly. Turn around." She did as told. Xiba then guided her by manipulating her hands in the proper position and got her into a stance, "You have to hold it like this before battle." Lea blushed being in his warm arms, she was no longer paying attention, "Then you have to kind of step to the side a bit, locking your knees." He then put her into the traditional battle stance.

"Oh… okay."

"You got it?" he smiled. Lea, not thinking, nodded and then, as Xiba let go of her arms, dropped to the floor with the heavy weapon. Sheepish, she stood up and dusted herself.

"Um… hehe…" she blushed. Xiba only smiled gently.

"I think we made progress."

When night fell on the two, Lea laid next to Xiba; gazing into the stars above, with only the moon to illuminate them. They were both on their backs, Xiba was growing uneasy; he wondered if his father was alright or not. "Hey, Xiba?" Lea catechized, unaware of his intensity, "Do you think we have to go back to the temple?" that had caught his attention. He didn't respond verbally, only made his eyes grow like an owls, "I mean, we're already out… even if no one ever sees us again; what can they do?" Xiba saw where she was going, "We can see the world together; be the first of the villagers to leave the province! Maybe even the country!" she was getting a little ambitious, the wild boy sat up and looked at her.

"Lea, I know what you mean, but… my dad's going back there." He became sorrowful, concerned of Kilik's whereabouts, "He told me to wait here, to see if the Rogues were attacking the village or not." Lea frowned, sitting herself upright.

"When did he leave?"

"This morning… I know it probably took a while for you… both of you to get around the mountain range but-"

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Lea hugged her knees, trying to keep her most beloved person from worrying. "After all, he is the village savior's father!" she cheerfully reminded him. But the adventurer just wasn't convinced; he tightened his hold on Three Karmas for comfort.

"He means a lot to me… I just feel that if something happens to him… it'll all be my fault." Lea grimaced with sympathy, "I was foolish… I killed Master Xiuqiang and even then he tried to take the blame for me. I have to make it up to him."

"Xiba…" she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, "I know what you're feeling… to an extent at least." She looked into his copper eyes, "When I was very young, I started to wonder who my mother and father were." She reminisced on the male monks that brought her food and toys when she was a child, "No matter how often I asked, all they said was, 'we don't know'." She held onto his arm, "Well, as I got older, when training was becoming more grueling… I went to Master Xiuqiang and demanded to know." Her attractive facial features hardened into anger.

"I told him it was my right to know what happened to my parents." She remembered that dreaded day in his dojo.

"Your parents wanted nothing to do with you." Simply and quickly like that, the master monk had broken the Washu's heart, "They left you to the monks here and moved on with their lives; pretty soon they died of illness."

"I don't know why, but I took it personally." Salty tears trailed down from her eyes, "I always wondered what I did wrong…" her lip quivered, she tightened her hold on Xiba's arm, "What I did… to make them not love me." Xiba adjusted his arm so he could scratch her head, leaning his cheek on it.

"You were only a child. You couldn't have done anything to upset them. I'm sure if they were real parents, they'd love you regardless of anything you've done."

"And that's what you should know; Xiba." She set up, wiping her tears. Lea had nearly forgotten the point of sharing this story with him, "No matter any mistake you've made… your father will always love you." Xiba only remained solemn, looking away with sadness.

"I just feel like I don't show it enough." His love was expressed subtly, not affectionately with hugs or outright saying it like his father.

"I'm sure he knows… you're probably the most important thing to him in his life." Xiba didn't respond, the staff user had had enough of this depressing conversation. Without saying another word to each other, they called it a night and decided to saunter to sleep.

The wild boy tossed from side to side, unable to find said rest. He had this struggled every so often; just when he'd give up on falling asleep, he was out like a blown candle, dreaming before he even knew it. Lea was already at ease, knowing that her favorite monkey boy was with her. His presence alone made her feel protected.

Xiba turned onto his left side one more time before finally dozing off. His body began to move up and down slowly, in synch with his soft breathing. However, a figure in the trees finally saw his opportunity and stepped out into the open. The two warriors were unaware of the man approaching them. He stepped over Lea and stopped at the staff-user. After observing him carefully, he knelt down and shook the boy.

"Xiba?" he knew his name. He stirred with a moan. "Xiba." It shook him harder, it sounded like his father, so naturally, he waved his hand at him, irritated, sitting up.

"Dad," he blinked his eyes, "What do you wan-?" he froze. In front of him was his beloved mentor Edge Master.


	16. Xiba's Resolution

Kilik was bound to a tree, surrounded by over 20 Rogues with a plethora of weapons. They tried their best to vitiate him into giving them directions to the temple, but he'd held out so far; despite the punctures and bruises on his flesh. Jarvis was the one who would pummel him, Jan was the interrogator, "Come on…" she drew out her voice in the whiniest tone possible, "All you have to do is give us directions and we'll be on our way!" she remembered him from the bridge and truly wasn't surprised to see him alive. Kilik had just been punched in the stomach, spitting out the left over salivation from the blow he growled.

"I told you! You're never going to get me to talk!" the 40 year old swordsman's life was in the hands of a 12 year old sociopath. He'd never in his life seen this coming. But no matter the age or her meek appearance, she had the heart of a sadist.

"Not even if we do this?" she glanced at Jarvis, giving him the cue. With a small hunting knife, he jammed it into Kilik's hip. His body bolted upward as his eyelid twitched. Biting his lip so much that it bled, he held in the cries of pain. The seven foot tall man stepped away from him.

"I think I'll just let it sit for a while, until you give us some answers." He grinned. Erik, one of the scouts that had found Kilik was growing impatient.

"Jan forget it! He's not gonna talk." His partner in crime Marcel spoke out.

"Can't we just kill him and scope the mountain ourselves?"

The girl turned around pouting, "And miss all the fun?" Kilik was getting tired of her voice. He groaned from the pain in his left hip. Jan walked closer, getting on her toes to barely reach his height, "Come on, do you really want be to use your Achilles' heel to get you to talk?" The agonized man blinked.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your weak point!" she licked her lips, "I know someone who's life you value more than your own!" Norbert and Ina, whom were in on the interrogation dragged in a familiar young man with messy red hair to him.

"Stop!" he squirmed, "Let go!" Xiba struggled against their grip on his arms. Kilik recoiled in bewilderment. Sweat trailed down from his forehead.

"It-No!" he struggled, tongue-tied; "There's no way!" Jan giggled slightly. She had such a cheerful glee to torturing people.

"I told them take a hike on Zhen Hang Mountain to see if they found anything." She walked up to the wild boy, "Looks like they did!" he glared at her hatefully, she pinched his cheek, "And boy, is he a cutie!" as he went back to trying to squirm out of the Rogue's grasp, Kilik shook his head, trying to violently break from the ropes that held him to the tree.

"No!" He shouted, "I don't believe you!" he looked at his son with conflicted emotions, "My son could fight you off easily!" the Kali Yuga inheritor then stopped his struggling actions; he looked away shamefully at that moment.

"Guess he's not as strong as we thought he was, is he now?" Jan interjected. Kilik tried to lash out towards her, but he was leashed back.

"YOU BRAT!" he yelled, "I don't care what you do to me! Just let him go!" the young adventurer then looked at Kilik with sudden sorrow. Jan closed her eyes with a bashful smile.

"Aw, but you know there has to be a bargain, don't you?" Erik walked up to the boy, taking out a large blade and held it up to his neck. Xiba titled away with fear, "Where's the Ling-Sheng Su Temple?" the Ling-Sheng Su Temple meant the Kali Yuga, which meant unlimited power. Kilik looked at the girl, his son, then back at the girl with a new attitude.

"This isn't my son!" he announced, surprising both Jan and frightening the adolescent, "He's stronger than all of you put together! He'd never give in like that! I refuse to give you any information!" with a frown, the young girl sighed.

"Is that so?" she feigned empathy, "You'd really risk your only son's life just to protect some dumb village?" Kilik shut his eyes from the girl, "My, what a man you are." She teased. With hate, undying damnation for the girl, he gave her the most grisly look he could muster.

"That is not my son! And the villagers are my people!" She was doing destruction on his mind and heart. But she only shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay." She turned back to the three holding Xiba down, "Erik! You heard him!" he began to hoist his sword to the side, the teenager began to hyperventilate.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" he cried out, unprepared for decapitation. The sword at lightning speed hurdled towards him, "DAD!"

"STOP!" Kilik gave in. His breaths couldn't keep up with his heart beat. Adrenaline rushed through his blue veins. Erik halted the sword just in time. The six Rogues that had been torturing him all exchanged confused looks. Xiba gasped with relief, catching his own breath.

He couldn't lose his son… his only family. His most cherished being, "Don't follow the mountain trail." Kilik gasped, "Just upon reaching the sharp turn you keep going forward into the trees." He explained, "Keep going up and you'll find the temple's gates." Guilt tore at his heart. But he'd saved his son. He kept repeating that in his head, 'I've saved my son'. Such hope was brought to his soul. Jan smiled wickedly, Erik plunged the sword into Xiba's gut, "NO! **NO~**" Kilik howled as he broke down, but then his 'son' slowly diminished into that of a sandbag dummy they had used their energy on. Norbert and Ina dropped the dummy with smirks. Kilik was dumbfounded… his own naivety was to blame… never would he blame the love for his son.

"Well, looks like we win!" Jan smiled. Jarvis ripped the knife out of Kilik's hip, causing him to cringe. The manic 12 year old inched closer to the father, "But in case someone comes running along looking for you…" she held out her arm, Ina threw her a large ring blade, "Finds you…"

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Xiba had been awoken by Edge Master, whom had been 'dead' for a week. "AH-!" his yelp was halted by the elder's hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed. The two heard a soft groan; Lea stirred and turned onto her opposing side. The wild boy ripped his hand off.

"Edge Master?!" He whispered with an appalled tone, "How the hell are you-?"

"I was banished." he stated. With disbelief, his young proselyte shook his head.

"What?" he mouthed inaudibly, "N-No! We cremated you!" Edge Master adjusted himself in a more comfortable position.

"Did you ever see the body that was cremated, Xiba?" he pointed out. After a giving his student a minute to take in what he had just heard, he continued, "When I suggested to Kong Xiuqiang that we let you compete in finals despite the other monks being against it, he agreed completely." Xiba winced, "Hold on, it'll make sense in a moment." He chuckled; one of the reasons he was Xiba's favorite teacher, his sense of humor, "But as I was about to tell the other monks of his opinion… he stopped me." Still stunned by the sight, Xiba blinked his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew he was up to something!" Edge Master grimaced, "He said let the tension build up within his soul! When I spoke out against it, he sent me away without another word." the wildling then didn't know how to respond. He nodded in response, announcing to the master of blades he simply didn't understand, "He wanted aggression within you, Xiba! To build you up… it was part of his plan."

"Plan for what?!" He demanded, raising his voice once more, forgetting about Lea.

"I'm not sure." He scratched at his beard, "But it's up to you to figure it out and annihilate his plan." Xiba frowned, confused and worried, "The Rogues are headed for the village. You must stop them, Xiba!"

"I don't know how!" he admitted, now full of anxiety that was welting in his chest. But the elderly teacher only laughed.

"Of course you do! This is part of your destiny." The robust teenager then shriveled into a ball of confusion.

"My destiny?"

"Everyone born into the world has a destiny, Xiba." He nodded, "I told you that many years ago." Puzzled and with a headache, Xiba cupped his head into his hands, "No matter what it is, we always end up fulfilling it." Shaking his head and unable to hold himself upright, Xiba laid down on his side, shuddering intensely. All of this sudden information frightened the youngster; upon realizing this, Edge Master knelt lower, "Part of your destiny must be fulfilled right now… your father is in danger." He reminded. With confusion and disbelief, Xiba shook his head, he was helpless.

"I-I can't-" he shut his eyes.

"You must find him."

"No~" the wild boy muttered to himself, "I don't know~"

"Xiba?" a gentle voice called him, shaking his arm, "Xiba." Opening his eyes once again, the staff-fighter sat up to see Lea at his side… his old mentor was gone. Nowhere to be seen. The logical explanation of his master's return being a dream eased the boy, but he remained slightly frantic, "Are you alright?"

"I have to go!" he leapt to his feet and grabbed Three Karmas. Now Lea was befuddled, following after him.

"Go where?!"

"To find my dad! He could be in trouble!" his copper eyes were wide with worry. Lea was reluctant to follow along.

"He'll be fine I'm sure." She fiddled with her hands, "He probably lost his way on the way back!"

"No!" He grabbed her arms, "Don't you understand?" he belted, "Those were Rogues that destroyed the bridge!" The girl's eyes were gleaming with hesitation, "If they find my father, or even the village, we're doomed. I left the Kali Yuga in my own room!" he let her go, "Lea, please!" he begged, "Where's the path you took around the mountain range to get here."

"Xiba-!"

"You have to help me!" Desperation illuminated his eyes as he held his hand out to her, begging for her companionship, "Please." Guiltily, the swordswoman turned her head.

"I'm scared…" her throat swelled up, "I'm scared!" she bellowed, "God knows what those people can do to us if they can take down an entire village!" she shook her fists angrily as she exclaimed her fears. Xiba was aghast.

"Lea, you're a swordswoman." He raised a brow, "You were ranked 3rd in the academy!"

"But we've never faced the real deal, Xiba!" she reminded him. Not once had they ever had to face true invaders with ruthless, sadistic hearts; only mentors whom the moment they saw their students mutilated or ineligible to fight, could dismiss them, "I don't want to lose you again!"

…

Silence accompanied Xiba's heart. She sounded just like Kilik… fist his father, now Lea. Two people who loved him dearly, as did he in return. With gentle eyes, the crimson-haired trainee put away his aggression and enclosed the girl in his arms. She pressed her face into his chest.

"You're not gonna lose me."

"I don't want you to die." She whispered with a stuffy voice, "I want you to stay alive with me!"

"We will!" he shook her slightly, getting her to focus her eyes on his, "We're warriors Lea, it's what we were trained to do!" he took her hand and placed it on her sword's handle, sheathed away, "And if you're not going to accompany me in saving my father." He backed away from her, "So be it."

With confliction, only slightly, Lea nodded and took out her sword, "I'm in."


	17. The Lure of Hate

Lea lead Xiba through the thickets of trees as they dashed around the mountain trail for over an hour. Small beads of sweat were trailing from their foreheads. Running quickly ahead of him so that he wouldn't see her flustered face, Lea was growing uneasy that she may be getting him lost in that dark forest. The moon was the warrior's only source of light, only passing through the branches of trees. Stopping for about the third or fourth time, Lea caught her breath, wheezing.

"Lea," Xiba looked around wildly, desperate to get to Kilik, "Do you know where we are?" it all looked the same to him, but he didn't expect to be passing through any populated areas to get to Ling-Sheng Su. Her sapphire eyes were bloodshot, hefting her upper body to stand up straight, she dreaded the horrid answer; she hadn't a clue where they were.

"Yeah." She tried to ease him, "It shouldn't be much longer…" Xiba sighed, relieved, "But maybe we should wait until morning." Perhaps some sunlight would help her find the way. But the staff-fighter revolted.

"No! We have to get to my father now Lea!" he pushed her out of the way, looking into the dark path ahead; too dark. His eyes couldn't adjust properly to see whether it led deeper into the forest, or if it was the edge of a cliff. Xiba was growing infuriated, panicked even. Squeezing Three Karmas he knew he was running out of time to find Kilik. He slammed the metal end violently into the ground, "DAMN IT!" he was losing hope, "GOD DAMN IT!" he slammed the rod down twice more as he vented. Lea was shaken by his sudden change of attitude.

"Xiba?"

"All of this is my fault…" he shuddered, "The Rogues… the Kali Yuga… my father's in trouble and now so is the village." He held his rod even tighter with both hands as Lea frowned sympathetically, "I shouldn't have done this." He whimpered, "I shouldn't have accepted the Kali Yuga… if I could go back and change everything…" he ended it there, losing his words. Lea didn't realize it, but she had been holding Qing-Long in her hand this entire time. Gazing into the carved symbol into the blade, she was reminded of Xiba's words.

"Xiba… we can figure this out." There was no response, "We were meant to do this! We're warriors!" she smiled, trying to ease the poor boy. But he stared off into the distance. Lea took it as though he were ignoring her, "Listen to me!" She asserted, "You said so yourself, all of this training should have paid off! Now let's go-"

"Wait…" he quickly familiarized himself with the area. He didn't know why but something struck him that he knew this place. As if something was guiding him, "I think I know where we are." Lea raised a suspicious brow, the wild boy suddenly darted left ahead of her.

"Ah-" the swordswoman was caught off guard, "Hey wait!" running farther and farther into the threes, the two suddenly found an opening and stood in literally, the middle of nowhere.

Lea had no idea what the place was but to Xiba, he could vaguely remember the area, "What is this place?" the crimson-haired boy recognized the food carts and old stand where instruments had once been used.

"This is the town at the end of the mountain!" it looked abandoned, completely deserted, "What happened to it?" he wondered aloud.

"Xiba!" she pointed up the trail, "Does this mean that's the way back up to Ling-Sheng Su?" Quickly raring to blitz up the mountain, he nodded.

"You bet! Come on!" without even waiting for his girlfriend, he put all his might into his legs as he ran upward, stumbling a few times on the bumpy paths but continued on. Lea on the other hand fell to the ground on the first trip.

"Xiba! Wait!" she quickly crawled back up. He was powered by concern of his father, where he could be what could've happened to him-

…

He stopped. Xiba froze in the middle of an abandoned campground. White tents with fire symbols on them and targets for practicing as well as holds for weapons. There were lined up carts for carrying supplies as well. But he wasn't looking at any of those. Succumbing to his body's shock and numbness, he dropped Three Karmas. Xiba's copper eyes were wide. Wide like an owl's with fear.

Lea finally scampered onto the next mountain range, where instead of an upward lift; the ground was floor level and easier to walk on. Stunned by the camp sight, she looked around, "Xiba?" she saw two figures standing at the end of the camping grounds. One was a dismantled shape on the dirty mountain floor, the other was a young man standing over it with a face of horror. She recognized him as she stepped closer, "Xiba!" the clouds unveiled the moon behind it, revealing to Lea not only Xiba's manic appearance, but the bloody mess underneath him was Kilik.

His body appeared as if a blade had been sliced aimlessly towards its body, slashing whatever the wielder had pleased. Lying in a pool of blood, the father had been left there to bleed to death, lying by the tree where he was once held captive. Haunting, howling winds beat against Xiba's ears. He couldn't feel himself within his skin… he was floating in a pit of darkness. His mind was imbued with damp, thick grief. Frightened, Lea struggled to find her words, but watching her loved one tear up silently ripped at her heart.

…

"Xiba-?"

"**NOOO!**" Collapsing to his hands and knees, he dragged his belly across the ground to his father's body; "**N-O-OH…!**" his body struggled to make noise. He was breathless; too busy making more tears for the boy's endless weeping to come. He lay atop Kilik's body, now orphaned. The sudden change of his life had happened too many times. While Xiba had grown used to it… this would never leave him the same. He wheezed in heavily, it was painful as his ribs crushed his lungs and stomach. The staff-warrior bawled and sobbed uncontrollably as his cries were wailed into the night. He was speechless; he continued to caterwaul heavily into his father's body as tears ran down his face.

Lea had no words… she had nothing to do to ease Xiba's pain. Her dearest friend. Her heart pounded which literally took her breath away. Biting her lip trying not to grow hysterical herself, she shook her head, "Xiba. Please don't cry!" she forced out of her mouth. Xiba's wailing ceased, but his tears and snot weren't done running. He lifted his head to try and look at his father's loving face one more time. But he couldn't; his vision was blinded by the salty thick tears, "Xiba?" she held her hands together tightly. But the wild boy observed something. Using his arm to wipe his face, though his eyes remained red and puffy, he saw a trail of hefty footsteps and blood leading up the mountain trail. To his village.

Where his father had raised him.

Fire heated up his soul and eyes as he slowly stood up with Three Karmas in his fist once again. Cataclysm swan through his veins. Snarling like a rabid dog, he clenched his teeth and leaned forward like the feral beast being unleashed from within. Lea recoiled, "Xiba?"

**"I'LL SLAUGHTER YOU!"**

With nothing but the echo and his rage left behind, Lea was left alone as the beast raced up the mountain.


	18. Rogues

The children of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple's gambol had come to an abrupt end, as without any warning, the Rogues immediately leapt from the darkness and went on their rampage of massacre. The village's antagonists had beleaguered the towns, with nowhere to run, the citizens scrambled about trying to find sanctuary. Mothers grabbing their children in their arms, flames were lit in the Rogues' retaliation, burning the old stands and carts to ashes. The horror was only inchoate; as they had not found the Kali Yuga yet. But once they did, there would be no hope.

"No!" a girl, about the age of 11 was backed up against the wall; she'd been separated from her mother in the flames and ambush, "Please! I don't want to be killed!" She shrieked, cornered by Ina and Erik, only two of the dozens of Rogues. They looked at each other, quizzing on whether she was pathetic enough to kill or not, "PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME-!" Erik had heard enough, and swiped her head clean off with his blade, blood splattered on the stone wall behind her and against the two's armor.

There was no mercy in this village.

Men lined up and readied their staffs and swords, a monk hurriedly charged at them, "Alright! Now's your chance to see your training's progress!" he announced to the young graduates, Fang Dao was in the front line, inching forward to fight for his homeland, "SHOW THEM NO MERCY!" Gritting his teeth, he growled. If he couldn't have the last remaining treasure, he could sure as hell stand up for his temple, "ATTACK!" the monk howled, the warriors brandished their war cries as they bolted like a stampeding heard of animals into the frenzy.

The old dojos were like torches in the night, the smoky air was too dark to send a signal into the night for help. Their temple was already facing destruction; it no longer mattered if they were found. The men opted to attack, but they were too weak against the grisly foes of Ling-Sheng Su. But some were refractory, especially Fang Dao.

"Come on!" he commanded with his deep voice, "Do you want our people to die?!" he scowled at his fellow classmates who weren't able to keep it up for much longer. He saw Jarvis appear before them, standing seven feet tall. The cocky warrior positioned himself, "I'm not afraid! I'll kill you if you come any closer!" the Rogue laughed.

"Mountains of corpses are all we intend to leave behind." He hefted a giant axe… the blade was in the shape of a metal thumbtack. Eyes wide with fear, Fang Dao attempted to keep in his stance with his short sword. The other young warriors backed off and fled. They were better off dying with their village. That was true fear. But Fang Dao remained, and then came the axe down from above him. Quickly side-stepping, barely missing the sharp pointed edge. He was quick! But Jarvis with his ungodly strength lifted the axe and swung it in a circular motion.

"AH!" He gasped, ducking just in time. He was quick for counter attacks, a point blank fighter. But he was looking for the right opportunity to strike him! Fang Dao was running out of luck as the axe was swooped down again. Another side-step out of danger, barely. Jarvis was getting agitated, the monstrous man tried a different approach, with his handle, he swung his axe in the other direction, confusing the Washu and grazed his elbow. Not even his arm-protectors were strong enough against this force. Then Fang Dao's time was up, as with the hilt of the Rogues' axe, he was struck in the gut and knocked into the wall. He slumped downward as pieces of brick and stone fell around him.

Fang Dao sank into darkness.

The nemeses of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple were nearing victory, but one last detail was still in arm's reach. Jan's long, white kimono was covered in blood, more suiting for the sadistic young being. She threw down their prisoner, unbinding the cloth around his face and revealing the valor warrior Kilik. Still tied in thick, sharp ropes. He'd been twisting his wrists left and right so much that they bled to try and free himself. It was no use. Jan and Marcel had carried him through the flaming village.

"Alright old man!" she had her ring blade sashed over and around her body, "See this?" she proudly gestured to the burning and panicked temple, people's screams could still be heard over the crackling fire, "That's what you get for not reading the riot acts…" she was an inch away from his face, "Either you watch your village burn and go to the ground with it, or tell us where the staff is, and you die with dignity!" he raised a brow, bitterly. Either way he'd die… all he could do was be thankful that Xiba was still safe on Zhen Hang Mountain… this wasn't the end. He had a son to return to!

"You may have fooled me once, but you won't again!" he struggled to get to his feet, his ankles were tied together. He wiggled in his uncomfortable position, trying to break the ropes apart, "If you're so damn clever, then find it yourself!" he knew it was in his home somewhere. But that would be too easy for the Rogues… so easy that they would deny it and check elsewhere. Why hadn't he thought of that before his snide comment? It didn't matter, because Jan was nose-to-nose with him again.

"Fine." Her pitch deepened, her face crinkled with intense animosity, "If you think you're so righteous for keeping your mouth shut then we'll do the dirty work ourselves!" she lifted his chin upright, "And maybe… we'll take care of your little boy once we find it."

Kilik retched and spit in her face, "Ugh!" she jumped away, wiping at the saliva on her brow. He growled lowly, providing his own false hope that Xiba could take these sociopaths, "Stupid…" she kicked his side, forcing a hurt grunt to escape his throat, "Marcel, finish him off! I've got a weapon to find."

"My pleasure." The man grinned, unsheathing an Iai blade, an incredibly toothpick thin and needle-like weapon. It resembled a zatoichi sword. Kilik observed the blade carefully and quickly hatched an idea. Marcel lifted it, holding it like a samurai sword, "Say goodnight!" he aimed for Kilik's mid-section, attempting to slice him in two, but swerving his body clockwise and twisting it like a cat, the ropes that held his ankles together were cut lose. Marcel was flustered, "What?!"

Using his energy to hop to his feet, Kilik fought only using his kick moves. Though Marcel was a master of sheathing, the man was able to headbut him, not only giving himself a bruised forehead but knocking the unsuspecting Rogue out. His eyes span for a moment but he refocused himself and saw the sword below him. Kilik had to sit backwards of the sword and get the blade in-between his back and his wrists.

"Hng… come on." He reached for the blade with his fingers while trying not to cut himself at the same time. He felt the cold iron, "Gotcha!" he smiled, slowly reeling it up in position and he began ribbing the rope up and down against the sword. Hurrying before Marcel regained consciousness.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

A woman grabbed her child, tripping and falling as she did so and fled like lightning for safety. Her husband stayed behind to fight the three Rogues surrounding him, all fiendish with their sinister smiles, "Come on! If you want to fight for this village, then go ahead!" he cried, praying that they spare his wife and son if they ended up defeating him. Alas, he was indeed caught off guard as the elderly man was grabbed from behind and held captive. His impending doom was coming, but the Rogue was shoved violently away by a young man with messy red hair, wearing a golden torn jacket with long pants tucked into short boots, and a face of pure, desirable vengeance.

As the Rogue was pounded against the wall, coughing up blood, the man's face lit up with hope and wonder, "Our savior!" the Rogues eyed Xiba curiously, while the townspeople who had yet to get to safety all glimpsed at the scene, "Our savior is here!" none of them knew that he lacked the Kali Yuga, nor his heart beating hatred through his veins. People, still frightened and shaken, chattered with worry, hope, and relief all at once. Hatefully, Xiba gazed off past the flames, far ahead was the girl Jan approaching.

She had to be the one… she had cut the bridge. Instead of helping the man, the wild boy bellowed and blitzed towards her, "**YOU BITCH!**" he pounced on her, one of his boots on her chest, the other on the cobblestone grounds, preparing to bash her head in, "YOU MURDERED MY FATHER!"

She grunted, shocked by his sudden jump. Jan wiped the drool from her lips, "What the hell are you doing here?!" she was aggravated, she hadn't anticipated this. Despite she was ruthless, sadistic, and cold-blooded, she was still an immature 12 year-old who rarely planned ahead, "Shouldn't you be crying like a baby over your daddy?" Xiba thrusted the metal end of Three Karmas into her throat, causing her to gag. He was sinfully unaware of her scheme; at the foot of the large mountain, in which Lea was still racing up to find her beloved monkey boy, the bloody pulp that fooled the adolescents into believing Kilik was dead was revealing its true self. The demonic energy had worn off, and it diminished back into the hay-filled sack that Jan had sliced apart.

"I'm going to kill every last one of the Rogues." He roared, "Starting with YOU!" Jan knew how to hit home for almost any person. It was her 'gift'. Somehow, she'd been given the ability to read minds... not so one's thoughts but the source of their emotions. It began when the Evil Seed first reigned… her mother had gazed upon the light. She smiled with her pink lips.

"That's funny… isn't that what you _didn't _want to be?" she stared into his fawn eyes, "A killer?" he recoiled with shock and confusion, the other Rogues had seen enough and continued to pulverize the older man. The townspeople went back to scrambling and running amok. But all Xiba could hear was the wind blowing against his ears. His crescent-moon necklace was nearly carried away by it. She had him now, Jan pushed the maroon rod away, "You were plagued by the guilt of what you did to your poor master." She stood up, hoisting her large circular blade, "Poor you," she feigned empathy, speaking with a high pitched voice, like one would use when they spoke to an infant, she even puckered her lips, "So sad crying about it, having bad dreams, wanting to run away from the village."

With anger, sadness even, Xiba tightened his hold of Three Karmas. His eyes never left hers, "Now look what you've done!" she continued, stirring up his stomach with hot lava, "You endangered the entire village, all because you couldn't handle one teensy weensy mistake." Jan had never been more serious when it came to this kind of mental torture. Xiba had no one but himself to blame. His heart sank into a deep dark pit of guilt and loathing.

"You know what happens to bad people who destroy their loved ones." She had him in a vulnerable state… this was her chance! Lea finally made it around the towns, engulfed with flames, crowds around her still searched for sanctuary, unable to leave the parameters. She saw her loved one in danger. Jan was lifting the ring blade. Gasping, Lea equipped Qing-Long, despite it was miniscule in comparison to the pre-teen's weapon.

She was grabbed by her ponytail but Norbert, who forcefully held her down, cracking her spine, "What's a pretty girl like you doing with that?" she cried out in pain as her back cracked disc by disc. It snapped Xiba back into reality and he blocked Jan's attack. The two pressed their weight against each other.

"Damn it!" She yelped the monkey boy was stronger; he swerved his staff in a cross-bo motion in an attempt to knock the weapon away. But Jan only staggered backwards.

"You wanna fight?!" she growled menacingly, "COME ON!" the two broke out against each other. Lea tried to lift her head, she could hear her boyfriend's grunts of struggle and pain.

"Xiba…" becoming fierce, Lea cringed and shifted her weight to her arms as she cart wheeled her way to her feet, Rising Shui Shuian was the move, as she kicked him while she hand-standed and caused Norbert to fall backwards. Not her monkey boy! She unleashed her caged fury.

Kilik was within the village, he'd found two injured men and hefted them over his shoulders, "I'll get you help!" he yelled out.

"Bless you…" one groaned, on the verge of death. Kilik wasn't the only one; some women found other injured civilians and dragged them to the infirmary.

"HA! URAH!" he could hear faintly. Looking beyond the flames and smoke, he could see a feint, undefined figure fighting brashly against a foe. Was it…

"Xiba?!"

"Hurry! They're critically injured!" an elderly man called out, forcing the swordsman to bring his attention to the townsmen. Unwillingly, Kilik rushed towards the infirmary and away from the battle.

Lea simultaneously struck her opponent three times, they were two fast high swings followed by a mid stab. After Lea lunged forward and twirled her body, slashing Norbert three times, she grabbed him and performed the throw Raging Wind, "Hai-yee!" she cried out, not allowing herself to lose her loved one this time. She had him she thought, Xiba was too busy fighting against their crazed leader. They had only been dancing around with their weapons at this point.

Distracted for only a moment, Lea didn't react in time and she saw the hilt of a sword coming directly at her. She blanked out.

Xiba could hear the sickening _Crack! _and _Thud! _from his spot. Both caught off guard, the boy and Jan froze and looked at the source of the noise. Among the dark, burning town he saw Norbert standing over a collapsed Lea, he'd cracked her skull and her head was bleeding out. She was on her back with her hand still clenched around her sword's handle. Her body didn't move.

Gasping, with his copper eyes gleaming with grief, then anger, he gave in. "WHA!" Jan was forcefully pushed to the side as he rushed towards Norbert.

"Her… AHHH!" Xiba's battle cry slowly increased in volume as he leapt on Norbert and crushed his ribs with Three Karmas. Jan saw this as an opening and darted out of sight in search of the holy staff. The Ling-Sheng Su warrior was overcome with hate… first his father, now his beloved one. He stood over the paralyzed Rogue with a face of murderous intent. He slowly lifted his staff, preparing for a gruesome sight. The 'psychotic' Rogue, panicked.

"N-No!" he cried, "Stop! Please!" Xiba was befuddled, though he kept his menacing look to intimidate his antagonist. He gritted his teeth as he tightened his hold of his staff, "Please! I have a family! I swear! Two children!" tears stood in the once fiendish, now pitiful man's eyes, "Let me go!"

Xiba's eyes narrowed with animosity… this was illogical, "Why should I?" he mumbled, "You and your people killed everything I loved…" he'd lost himself in the midst of vengeance, who he truly was was wandering in darkness, "What goes around comes around…" he lifted Three Karmas, but her heard a slight groan from behind him. Whipping his head around, he saw Lea twitch, attempt to lift herself upright, then collapse back down again.

She was alive!

So everything he loved wasn't gone… if they were the strong and endearing people he knew them to be then they couldn't die on him… not like this. With his old self and sanity regained, Xiba glanced at Norbert. He was still pathetic. Stepping off of him, Xiba lifted him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him backwards. Norbert was shocked, "Y-you're not going to kill me?" he smiled with gratefulness.

Anger didn't leave the monkey boy's face, "Only if you leave and _never _come back!" He hissed into his face. With a nod, he staggered backwards.

"A-are you sure I couldn't be of assistance-?"

"OUT!" he slammed Three Karmas into the ground, startling Norbert as he vanished from Ling-Sheng Su. He knew that once a Rogue, always a Rogue. He'd only stick around to try and turn against him again. But Norbert now knew who he was dealing with. After watching the childish man disappear into the dark night, he was immediately at Lea's side.

He set aside his weapon and lifted her head, "Lea." He stated her name, as if ordering her to wake up, "Lea!" he shook her shoulder with his other hand, "Can you hear me?" he slowly slid his hand out of her soft, dark brown hair, his hands were stained with blood. She didn't open her eyes, but he heard a soft moan. She was in pain! He couldn't leave her there, but she was in no condition to fight.

Xiba had no other option. He began to lift her in his arms. Lea blinked her sapphire eyes, her vision was blurred as all she could remember was a Rogue with his sword coming at her head first, "N-no! NO!" she tried to cry out but Xiba quickly got back down to his knees so he could focus her attention on him.

"Lea! It's me!" he reassured her, loving brushing her bangs aside.

"Xiba?" she was both agonized from the physical pain, and relieved to be back in his arms, "Is it over?" she still tightly clenched Qing-Long. The wild boy reluctantly shook his head.

"No… not yet. But I'm going to get you help." Lea didn't offer any leverage when he tried to lift her.

"I can still fight!" she retaliated, but she was weak, as when Xiba finally stood up, her sword slid out of her hand and clanged onto the ground below, she was slipping into darkness again, "I can help you…"

"I don't need your help!" he blatantly told her. His voice sounded as though he were miles away from her as a black fog shrouded her vision, "I need you safe…" he carried her through the flames, the town continued to burn… isolated as the townspeople either lied deceased on the grounds, or had taken refuge in the infirmary.

The night was far from over.


	19. Safe and Sorry

The infirmary was like a fallout shelter as it was packed with the current survivors of the temple. People were laid onto small pallets being treated by their families or the town doctors. Many were lined up against the walls to make room for the injured warriors, conversing in frantic, but soft tones. The children were at their mother or father's side. The people feared what would happen if the Rogues found them. Or worse; the Kali Yuga. Kilik lied down the elderly man onto a soft bed; he was wounded across his abdomen.

"Just breathe for now." He ordered, "A doctor's coming! I have to look for more survivors." Should he even call them survivors? The night of terror was not yet done! But for now, he wanted to find someone more important to him than any of them… had his son come looking for him? Did Xiba remember where he'd left the Kali Yuga? So many questions flustered the swordsman as he rushed out the back and into the enflamed village. Shortly afterwards, the front door of the medical center was pounded against. There was silence. A Rogue had found them! Or so they thought. Xiba had Lea, now limp in his arms. He was panicking.

"Someone open up!"

"Xiba!" a classmate recognized his voice. Hope reigned into the small center as a woman rushed towards the door. Upon seeing their beloved young warrior in his regal clothing, there was an uproar of relief.

"It's him!" a young girl whispered excited.

"He's here!"

"Who's that he's got?" all attention was on him now. But he didn't care. He lied Lea down on her back on a small, white futon on the floor. She hadn't moved or spoke in the last 10 minutes. He was growing uneasy. Her head had stopped bleeding… but there was still a wound on her head.

What if Lea's heart was no longer beating?

"Let me take a look!" a man knelt down next to Xiba and observed her condition, checking her vital signs. The crimson-haired boy then took a look around. So many people were mutilated, grief-stricken and frightened. They were all people he knew or people he'd seen throughout his life. Guilt drew a pitiful look on his face… then he heard a groan come from nearby. Just across the room, he saw Fang Dao, bandaged. His arm was in a disturbing 'U' shape, it had been fractured. Even he was braver than Xiba when it came to his fate! He could've prevented this he thought… none of this would have happened had he accepted his fate… but Xiba would've been hapless.

Could anyone win in this world?

"She'll be alright." The man proclaimed, reminding Xiba that he'd saved_ someone's_ life at least, "She's just out cold." The doctor lifted her head gently, "She'll need a few stitches, and a bit of recovery time." He then grimaced, "If anyone of us makes it out of this alive…" guilt wormed into Xiba's heart once again. He looked at his beautiful Lea again. At least she'd get away. His father though… if he were there he'd be able to get through this. With Kilik's guiding hand… it was all his fault. His father was still gone.

Because he couldn't be there while they operated, the staff-user made his way to the wash room; his face was drenched with sweat. Turning the valve on the sink, he let the pot fill with cold water, just before he cupped it into his hands and soaked his face with it. It was like his guilt… he submerged his emotions into the water as he smothered himself with it again, then again. He shuddered and welted to tears more violently with each submersion of water. His face and eyes were red.

He was a useless excuse for a 'savior'. His village was in danger… it was all his fault… Xiba was left with no option but to sit there with his pale of water and wash his sins away. But that was impossible. He leaned against the wall with his face buried into his knees. What good was he anymore? With but one person left in the world he loved… what was the point of trying. He'd end up losing Lea for good if he tried to fight the Rogues. He just wanted to go back to what he was before the Kali Yuga; a wild, outcast monkey boy with messy red hair and walked around bare-foot simply because he liked the feeling of grass under his feet. Xiba then got lost in a plethora of emotional, confused thoughts…

He thought about the dream he'd had about Edge Master a few hours ago; this was his destiny. Xiba would've disregarded that statement as his subconscious toying with him, but he knew it was parts of his forgotten memories reaching out to him; as he suddenly remembered when he first heard the words 'destiny'.

…

The 9 year old boy woke up to his paternal grandfather cleaning his forehead. The back of his head hurt, like he'd impacted it against something hard… rocky, to be specific. Xiba groaned as he shook his head, trying to regain his control over his motor skills.

"You finally woke up." The bearded man before him delighted. The child blinked his copper, almond shaped eyes, trying to focus his vision.

"Where-Where am I?" he muttered, groggy and befuddled. He felt over him soft sheets and under him the feeling of a used pillow and mattress.

"You're home… I found you unconscious just outside of the training grounds. You had quite a bump." Xiba then remembered, like a jolt of electricity, his memories came back to him; it was the first rankings of the semester. The day everyone had been dreading since their first day back at the academy. No one dreaded this more than Xiba; he'd been pressured and trained all summer to reach the top while everyone else played and leisured about. He'd snuck out of the class assembly and into the small wooded area nearby to climb into his usual sanctuary of trees.

That day went a little differently than the monkey boy had planned, as once he was in his usual 'hammock' of branches, he decided to go a little higher than usual. Upon holding onto the tree's main bark surface, he reached his other hand higher, quickly shifting his weight off of the branches below him. It was no surprise the nickname 'monkey boy' spread outside of his family, as upon grabbing the branch, he then used his toes to support his weight, now crawling like a sloth along it.

This way, he wasn't pressing all of his weight on the weak branches below. As he reached up for another branch, the one he was holding onto snapped. With nothing but a gasp, Xiba tried to grab the branch below him and failed, hitting his head against it instead and tumbling down. The red-haired boy had fallen out of trees plenty of times… only twice had he knocked the wind out of him; once from landing on his back, another landing on his stomach. After the fall was when Xiba had blacked out. The youngster sat up, still woozy.

"Xiba…" Edge Master sounded stern, causing his stomach to contract with worry, "You know you shouldn't be sneaking off like that." Blushing, the boy turned away angrily.

"I know…"  
"So why did you?"

Edge Master knew Xiba was on the brink of becoming a young man… he therefore disciplined him like one, "Because…" he puffed up his cheeks, blowing out his aggravation, "I don't like training!" he kept his attention to his bedroom wall, "The teachers want too much from me! It's annoying!" the elderly warrior exhaled, understanding the poor boy's position.

"But Xiba, you're making your father proud-"

"I don't care if I'm making him proud!" he whipped his head back to Edge Master, "I'm not happy whenever I train for him, even though I pretend to be! And if I told him…" his expression morphed into a solemn disappointment, "Dad would hate me…" the old man was shocked.

"Xiba!" he lifted the child's chin, turning him so that they were eye to eye, "Your father will _never _hate you!" his amber eyes were glassy with disbelief, "Your father loves you more than anything in this world…" he could tell the wild boy still wasn't convinced, "He wants you to be able to defend yourself… all this training is so that maybe one day you can bequeath the Kali Yuga." Xiba winced.

"The Kali Yuga? What's that?"

"It's our last remaining treasure of the temple… it holds the most purifying powers one could never believe…" it sounded like a fairy tale Xiba had read, he raised his brow, "Kilik hopes that one day the staff will be yours." Xiba pouted… more expectations…

"To be honest," the bearded man smiled, "I think it will be." The 9 year old was now puzzled.

"You do?" his beloved master nodded, "How come?" without a moment's silence, he responded.

"It's your destiny." The young child then inched back in his bed.

"My _destiny_?" he'd heard that word before, but never understood the true meaning behind it.

"Yes. Everyone has one… it's what each and every person was born to fulfill." Xiba appeared skeptical, questioning his 'grandfather' for the first time, "No matter what a person goes through in their life, somehow or someway, their destiny will find them, and it will be fulfilled." The boy hadn't anticipated this conversation, but shook his head.

"I don't think so." His thoughts were completely ambivalent to Edge Master's, already thinking for himself at such an early age, "How can someone be born with just one purpose? It doesn't make sense!" the man chuckled, ruffling his student's red hair.

"That's because you're young… and you haven't realized what it truly means to fulfill your destiny." Xiba only scowled, "All I can tell you for now is that you were destined for great things…" he paused, confident of his previous statement, "You will lead this world into something better." Still innocent and confused, the child gazed at the floor, irresponsive. His elder then stood up, "Now get some rest. You hit your head pretty hard earlier." He headed towards the bedroom door, sliding it open, "I'll tell your father you overworked yourself and got tired." He always covered for the young boy. Always.

Xiba grinned, "Thanks." With a nod, Edge Master slid the door shut, leaving the boy for a nap.

…

Water dripped from the faucet into the full pale, snapping Xiba back into his reality. Never did he imagine that seven years after the conversation would he be reminiscing over it just now. His thoughts on destiny hadn't changed… it wasn't his destiny to lead the town to its doom… to get his father killed.

_No matter what a person goes through in their life, somehow or someway, their destiny will find them._

His master's words echoed in his head…

_You were destined for great things._

Xiba slowly lifted his head, sitting upright with his arms rested on his knees… a strange, sudden, yet brilliant epiphany had struck the warrior.


	20. A Pledge

There was still conversation of the picaresque antagonists of Ling-Sheng Su. The talk had become quieter over the time Xiba had been sulking in the washroom. As if they thought the Rogues were outside waiting to attack, to finally destroy them all. The said boy entered the main lounge of the infirmary and saw the hidden commotion; for when he stepped into the room, he could truly _feel _the anxiety of his fellow villagers. All eyes turned to him like he was some sort of sacrosanct. They depended on him… Xiba couldn't let them down, not at least without a fight. He shook his head.

"Alright…" he breathed in, "Everyone! I know we're in a catastrophe right now… and I know you all depend on me to-"

"Daddy!" a high-toned voice interrupted him. It was sobbing. When the wild boy looked at the source of the noise, it was a boy with a red face clinging onto his father's mutilated body, "Daddy!" he cried, "I want my daddy!" and on and on the child went into his father's chest. No mother in sight. Xiba was reminded once more of the absence of the wisest, kindest man he'd ever known. He was reminded of how vulnerable he was without him… Kilik was always his shield; his blanket of protection… all fathers were to their sons. It then reminded the 16 year old that he didn't have much time left either.

Maybe he didn't, but the rest of the village deserved to live. He forced himself back into reality, "Okay!" his inner grief was obvious, "I know I'm supposed to be some sort of messiah because I have the Kali Yuga… but I'm not!" he announced with the audience's full, desperate attention, even those of his fastidious monks, "I'm just a kid!" he beat a fist against his heart, trying to calm down, "I'm just another villager here who happened to be good at using the rod." The male warrior affirmed, "I'm not special at all!" the children were so disillusioned by the murder they'd just witnessed, that this young man speaking above them seemed like a god… the power of his voice.

"I just want to do what's right…" he bit his lip, "And right now, I want to protect our village!" then came the painful part, "Our Edge Master is dead… and so is my father." He no longer had anything to lose, Xiba welted up in front of his audience, "And I was forced to murder Master Kong Xiuqiang with my own hands!"

The citizens gasped with horror, some confusion, many fright, Xiba quickly rebutted himself, "But he wanted me to murder my father is why!" he didn't know if they'd believe him, but he had to keep going. Hesitation was often a sign of dishonesty, "The Kali Yuga isn't as benevolent as we think! We've been lied to! Some of us to our faces by Master Xiuqiang…" he looked at his teachers, disgusted by the news, "Not just us people, but the other monks as well…" it only made sense. For his teachers weren't the ones to blame.

"It can absorb whatever power the wielder desires…" his knees were crumpling, Xiba could no longer keep eye contact with his people, "Why he chose me, I don't know…" he had to stop wasting time he thought, it could be any moment that Jan found the Kali Yuga, "But it doesn't matter. I can't fight the Rogues alone~." His joints collapsed from the angst; he slowly descended to his knees and hands, bowing for forgiveness from the others, "If any of you are willing to help me fight for the Ling-Sheng Su Temple, then please… do it!" tears escaped his eyelids, not going unnoticed by the townspeople.

This young man was indeed honest and genuine. The women gazed with sympathy; the patients looked on at the activist male. The monks glared at each other and the few remaining men they had. There wasn't enough people left to fight, put out the fires, or watch the children and tend the patients all at once… some sacrifices had to be made. The boy, sorrowful, listening to his tears patter to the floor below, suddenly saw a shadow cast over his weak body. When the spiky-haired adolescent looked up, he saw his former teacher upon him. He held out a hand. Befuddled, Xiba accepted the gesture, and was lifted to his feet.

When he looked around, he saw the men preparing… whatever men and monks were there, they were ready for a fight. The women hadn't a choice but to watch the patients and children. Xiba was aghast, his jaw dropped slightly.

"Xiba." His teacher boomed from behind him, "Whatever your command, we will follow your orders." Now this was even more confusing, he took a step back, his long golden jacket had gotten twisted around one of his legs, he nearly stumbled.

"Wait… really?"

One of his fellow students Wang Fe nodded, "You bet! Who knew monkey boy had it in him?" she shouted, another male about his age reconfirmed with slight doubt in his expression.

"But did you see what happened to Fang Dao?" Cheng Da reminded, "There's no way we're any match against them!" Xiba grunted, scratching his chin.

"Okay…" a light flickered in his head, "I got it! The students will put out the fires, and the men will fight! I have to make sure Jan doesn't find the Kali Yuga!" he ordered.

"What will happen if she does?" Ling Na asked, worriedly lifting her long blade. Xiba grimaced.

"I don't know… and I don't want to know!" across the room, he saw Lea in her bead, with a thick bandage wrapped around her head. Some blood had seeped through the back, though she was stitched up. He narrowed his copper eyes, "But we have to stop them! We can't let them take the village from us!" the young boy who had been crying over his father stood up, inspired by the courageous young man, "This is _our _village! We built this village! And even if we can't leave, we're not going to let it burn to ashes!"

"FOR LING-SHENG SU!" A man wailed into the night, the others joined in. Su jumped into the crowd.

"FOR OUR PEOPLE!"

With a battle cry, the men and students alike readied for battle and prepared to blitz out the doorway, a cloaked monk stood in front, "Ready?!" he shouted. With another outcry of response, he busted the doors open, "ATTACK!" Xiba from the back watched them dart out into the burning village. Whatever Rogues were around were caught off guard and barely had any reaction time. It was an incredible sight. The women held onto their children who needed them. Some looking over the patients for security. The monkey boy still stood among them silently. Still solemn, he wasn't quite finished. Xiba knelt down next to Lea; he took off his crescent moon necklace and his teal bracelets from each wrist.

"For father." He whispered, gently placing the accessories onto her upper abdomen, "For Edge Master." He then lovingly placed her hands atop each other over the jewelry, "And for Lea." Despite he'd changed the hearts of his people, doubt and misery still attacked his own, drowning it in sorrow. Xiba had no doubts that this would be the last time he ever saw Lea…

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

The wild boy plotted through the fiery battlefields and down a familiar hill leading to his home. It appeared untouched… it was the same sanctuary he'd grown up into a young man in… there's no way this could be that easy. Jan was probably waiting for him. He'd left Three Karmas in the town! Damn it! He was left with his arms and legs as his weapons. His kicks alone were powerful, but he wasn't too sure about his fists. Xiba gathered his courage and raced down the hill and rolled the door open.

"DROP IT!" he screeched; seeing his predictions were correct, a figure before him held the sacred staff. But when he turned around, Xiba's heart skipped a beat, he could feel it. Dropping his arms from a fighting stance, Xiba held his mouth agape. His father stood in front of him clenching the Kali Yuga. He was as shocked as he was… not even close, actually. The teenage warrior was then numbed, like he was dreaming. Was he?!

"Xiba! What are you doing-?"

"Dad…?" he spoke to the figment, the phantom. The staff-user lost control of his limbs, he couldn't even step closer to Kilik. His eyes were wide and bright with shock… hopeless shock. Had all the traumatic events finally tore his sanity to shreds? Thought Xiba, if so, that would explain his sudden hallucination. But this was all reality.

"Xiba! It isn't safe for you to be here!" The father hadn't a clue of Jan's decoy left to fool him; all he knew was his stubborn son had disobeyed him yet again. His son's jaw remained dropped, his body stiff. Sudden motion hit him as he mustered an angered expression.

"You're not my father!" he knew they were toying with him once more! But Kilik recoiled with confusion, "You had over the staff or I'll kill you with my own hands!" The man was stunned, he'd never seen his son so violent… so bitter.

"What?" he mouthed, no noise came from his throat, "Xiba! It's me! Your father!"

"Liar!" He screamed, stepping closer, slamming his boot into the wooden floors, "It's your people who _murdered_ him!" What had they done to his child? His own boy. Regrettably, he didn't have the strength to fight them off when they first captured him. This was his own doing… now he had to fix the problem. But knowing how headstrong Xiba was, this wouldn't be easy.

"No no, Xiba," he lowered the staff and held up a hand, trying to halt the Washu, "You were tricked. That wasn't me you saw!" Xiba snarled in response, his teeth like fangs were flaring white and sharp into Kilik's eyes… this was _not _the boy he'd raised. Horrified, he gulped, "You have to believe me. I _am_ your father!"

"You're lying!"

"No!" he cried, "I'm not!" he swore with all his guilt, his love, his grief, his honor, so many emotions struggling to balance themselves, intertwining within his soul. Kilik just wanted his son back, his old life back, "You have to trust me Xiba! You're my son, and I love you!" he teared up, but Xiba was only growing angrier; how dare they play with his emotions like that? How _dare _they?

"If letting you kill me is the only way to prove it to you…" he tossed Kali Yuga to the grounds and fell to his knees, kneeling downward, "Then so be it!" he begged that this 'sacrifice' would re-convince his son; but if Xiba was too blinded by his hatred and took him seriously… The messy haired fighter would then know what living in hell was like. The boy growled lowly, his stomach twisted with fire and lava. He would bash the man's head inward… but something was holding him back. He didn't know what, but something chained the boy to the ground. Like a chained flail was around his ankle. His conscious told him that this was the man who took care of him, the man who blanketed him with protection. Xiba felt like he was trapped in an endless psychosis of fever dreams; his confusion and pain just didn't end even when he pointed out the impossibilities. The vividness of his surroundings threw him off just as those dreams did.

"If you're my father…" there had to be a way to trick them into confessing their sin… "Then you'll know the answer to this question." It was a question too personal for them to delve into his mind to find. No other person in the village knew of this situation. Kilik lifted his head hesitantly.

"Tell me about the worst fight we've ever had."

…

He couldn't. Kilik jerked back, gasping. His mouth wouldn't open, he felt paralyzed… this was too painful of a memory. But his son was waiting; the interrogation wasn't over, "Uh… I-Xiba… I can't talk abou-"

"If you don't know the answer, then you're _not _my father!" he hissed. Xiba's hostility… what had they done to his child? His precious prince, his cherished treasure. Kilik had to stop being so soft. He inhaled deeply, his chest sunk in.

"It was four years ago… you were 12." Xiba took a step back, beads of sweat trailed down his flustered face, "We were arguing on how I found you attacking another student… you jumped on him and started hitting him. It was because he talked down on Edge Master." He shuddered, "The monks had to pull you off of him, even then you struggled to keep fighting." Xiba remembered that fight… the student had it coming, he'd made the monkey boy so angry that he was shaking. Adrenaline raced through his veins with rage, he'd busted the boy's lip open. He was punished by being forced to train alone in the hot sun after that. Kilik continued on.

"I told you that violence wasn't the answer, but you wouldn't listen to me… you were so _angry_… it was like something had built up inside of you that came out explosively that day." He wouldn't find out until a month later that Xiba was only frustrated with all the forced training. Kilik dragged his nails into the floor, he couldn't go on. His words ceased. But Xiba was in denial, he couldn't let the phantom win just yet.

"Go on!" he demanded forcefully, "There's more!" Kilik forced himself to continue, standing back up.

"When we got home, we just kept fighting and yelling… it wasn't even on anything significant, we were just so angry. We took it out on each other." He then remembered the rest… he couldn't hold himself back as he grimaced and inched closer to his son. But Xiba backed away, holding up his fists.

"Stand back!" he ordered, but he was imbued with warmth as Kilik held him tightly. His hands still balled up, Xiba remained with wide eyes.

"And then…" he gently scratched the back of his son's head as his agony finally overpowered his other emotions, "When I finally couldn't stand it anymore, I did something horrible." No villain could be this good of a thespian; to cry so perfectly on cue like Kilik. Xiba let his guard down; his heart started pounding again, "I smacked you four times…" the father cried with remorse… Xiba couldn't believe it…

"Once to get you to be quiet… then three more times just because I was so angry." Xiba pursed his lips as they quivered, the tears were coming, "I regret that… even to this day." Finally, the Washu gave in and cried out.

"DAD!" he bawled into the man's shoulder, both falling to their knees. He was alive and in his arms… Xiba, who had lost connection with his pure, high-spirited soul, was at ease once more. His heart that had been stabbed with an iron blade was mending the wound, "Oh Dad~!" he sobbed. Kilik had no words as he was in his own little world, holding his son as if he were still the monkey child that latched himself onto him whenever he came home. Quiet footsteps alerted the two.

"Humph, I _thought_ there was one spot I hadn't checked yet."

Jan. She had entered through the back door. She looked exhausted and covered in ash from the fires. Her kimono was now a dark red thanks to the dried blood stains. Quickly sucking in his emotions of reunion, Kilik jumped up.

"Shit!" he swore, Xiba held onto his arm, still in the process of readjustment. Jan looked at the ground below her to see the crimson and gold metal staff.

"Guess you're out of luck!" as she jolted her arm out to grab it, Kilik leapt forward.

"Dad! NO!" when Jan closed her fingers around the weapon, a large light cast itself into the sky, busting through the roof. The warriors in the temple all stop and stared as they watched the terrifying history repeat itself once more… the Evil Seed had been reawakened.


	21. Supernova

Xiba was blinded as he screamed out, shielding his eyes with her arm. Kilik wasn't quick enough; winds gathered towards the weapon, he tried to keep away from the light, remembering what had happened to Xianglian 16 years ago. Jan wanted to laugh in her manic happiness; she gazed into the demonic aura with wonder and enlightment. The light then stirred and ceased, leaving behind the echo of an anguished moan. The Kali Yuga lied dormant. Xiba uncovered his bloodshot eyes, distraught and with his jaw dropped.

"What just happened?"

Jan was befuddled as well, looking to and fro until from above, a small light began to descend through the gaping hole in the ceiling and towards the evil soul. The glowing light brought a heavenly sigh to the Rogue's voice as she cupped her hands, "It's him…" her eyes lit up, "It's the soul of the Evil Seed…" It was not the weapon she was after; it was the soul that was trapped inside of it. The Evil Seed landed in the Kali Yuga through the hands of a tainted wielder. It was the rod's prisoner ever since… it had been Kong Xiuqiang's goal to set it free. It whispered this knowledge into Jan's ear as she grinned. Kilik looked at the peaceful rod, now nothing more than a weapon. At least he assumed.

"Am I worthy?" Jan suddenly murmured. The light hovered in front of her face as it silently conversed with her. She nodded giddily, "Oh yes!" she cupped her hands underneath the soul, carrying it, "Oh yes, yes, yes!" she cheered. Neither one of the men liked this. But they feared attacking would only make them its first victims.

"Let's do it now! Here!" her expression twisted with a smile, "I'll go to the center, where everyone can perish!" she lifted the light triumphantly. Xiba shook his head with an inaudible scream. Kilik stood back, for Jan began to glow. He shielded his son as she was engulfed in flames and disappeared. The soul had teleported her to the Ling-Sheng Su towns, still in flames, though people rushed to get them out. Kilik reproached from his son.

"Dad?" he mumbled, "This is what happened 16 years ago, isn't it?" he continued worriedly, hoping his father would know what to do.

"No…" he lifted the Kali Yuga, nothing happened, "I thought the Kali Yuga absorbed energy good or bad depending on the wielder… not on its own like that." Xiba rushed in front of him.

"What about the Rogues?! We have to do something!" he grabbed his bequeathed weapon from his father. Kilik looked at her courageous, headstrong son, "I don't care whether the Kali Yuga has powers or not anymore! I can still fight them with what I know! And with you leading the others against them, I can just focus on Jan."

"Xiba… we have no idea what we're up against anymore! Not just some bloodthirsty psychopaths; now we have something far worse among us!"

Xiba tightened his grasp on the metal rod, "We… we've always had something far worse among us… and I murdered him!" his copper eyes glowed sadly. The wild boy shook his head, "I can't let our people down… I have to protect them! They believe in me!" Kilik never realized what a valiant heart his young boy had… he was more like him than he believed. Despite his messy, short red hair; Xiba in every other way was just like his father, in spirit, and in heart. Yet in his eyes, part of Kilik still saw a six year old monkey boy.

"Xiba-"

"Dad!" he grabbed Kilik's wrist, "You have to let me go!" he begged, remembering that the village's fate rested in his hands… Lea's fate, Edge Master's dying wish to him in his dream; to fulfill his destiny. Kilik didn't hear the same words Xiba did. Let him go… to let his son grow up into a young man completely… to let him finish his journey to manhood on his own. It was a difficult task… impossible really. But it had to be done… a true warrior; a true father would do what is necessary.

"Go." He belted, "Go protect the village. I'll help the others!" with one final gaze into one another's eyes, Xiba slipped his hand away and darted out the back… his mind was set, losing was not his goal. Kilik didn't leave right away like his son, he still had to breathe, absorb the moment… almost orgasmic as his son had grown up right in front of him. He couldn't be relieved just yet however, not with the warriors running around in bloodshed.

…

In the infirmary, Lea blinked her sapphire eyes, acknowledging her comfy, supine position on a small pallet. Her hands were placed over her belly it seemed. She'd blacked out and couldn't remember anything, except now there was a bandage around her head, though her hair was now let down from her ponytail. When she went to move her hands, she noticed something clasped within them. She found two bracelets, one beaded, the other more like a cuff, and a necklace with a crescent moon shaped ornament. The necklace immediately told her who's it was.

Xiba!

"Excuse me, miss?" a nurse approached the attuned girl, "You must rest, getting yourself anxious will only make your injuries-"

"Where's Xiba?" Lea begged. The woman gently pushed her back down.

"Our savior's gone to fight the Rogues along with our men… I've heard a lot of commotion outside… I can't say if he's still out there or not." Lea's pupils dilated, her blood ran cold. She tightly clenched the jewelry.

"N-No~!"

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

The stick-fighter rushed to the town center amidst the flames. While the large bodies of fire had extinguished, the heat stung his flesh and the embers of the flames were still carried along the wind, lighting the night. When the Kali Yuga inheritor finally found Jan, she still held onto the Evil Seed. Now was time to end this, once and for all, "Alright! I'll give you one final chance!" he asserted, standing authoritively near the 12 year old. Hoping his 5'5" posture would still intimidate her, "Leave the village with the Rogues **now **or I'll break you apart!" he got serious, getting into the fighting position.

Jan's attention didn't leave the aura as she gazed wondrously into it… she was being shown all the information she needed of the village. It whispered sinisterly into her ears even though there was no physical manifestation around her. Xiba growled, growing impatient, "Hey! I said **now **damn it!" the monkey boy screamed. But Jan was too entranced… it was mystical, but then she gasped and looked up at her opponent. Xiba let his guard down, curious.

"What is it now?"

Jan was surrounded by the isolating winds; her tone had changed, "Now I understand why he chose you… Kong Xiuqiang was your grandfather." Xiba's stomach flipped as he gasped.

"N-neh, what?! NO!" he was too befuddled for words, "That's not possible!"

"It is if your mother, Xianglian was his daughter! It all makes sense! Kong Xiuqiang was the one who first caused the Evil Seed! But when he tried to absorb its power into the staff to use it, the holy Kali Yuga imprisoned it, since it was created by the hands of a purifying warrior." The light still levitated over her cupped hands, "Thinking if he could hand it to someone stronger than him, he kidnapped orphans and trained them to see who was worthy!" Lea... "Eventually, he put the rod into the hands of your father, and the Dvapara-Yuga to your mother." She snorted, "Guess that didn't go so well… but after Kilik's five years were up, he decided to put you into training. When he saw that you were growing frustrated and agitated over the years, he pressured your father more and more to keep you in the training! He wanted your anger to build up into hatred so that way… when you were given the Kali Yuga…" she smiled, the shadows underneath her eyes made her appear manic, "You could lead the Evil Seed to its glory!"

Xiba held onto the sacrosanct weapon tightly… this wall too much to hear in such a short amount of time. But it all made sense… looking back for the past 16 years… 13 of them had been the time his anger had gradually increased over time… yet why hadn't the Kali Yuga possessed him when he first held it then? Was his soul still truly pure?

"But now!" Jan laughed, "Now we don't need you!" she held up the glowing soul, "With this, I can lead the Rogues to our deserved victory!" Xiba stood up straight.

"I won't let you!" he slammed Kali Yuga into the ground, holding it upright, "This is what I was meant to do…" Jan smirked, "I never believed in destiny… and to be honest, I still don't! Not a destiny that one was born to fulfill, but a destiny someone makes!" he declared, "We were all born with purposes… and along the way, your purpose can change based on your actions!"

Jan scoffed. Xiba narrowed his eyes infuriated, "And right now, I've made my purpose to protect the people I care about!" he got into the Ling-Sheng Su stance once again, locking his knees. The pre-teen laughed hysterically.

"Very very touching! Bravo!" she teased his monologue, but the young man had no reaction. She sneered at him, "Now that you mention it… you're right." Xiba raised a brow, "Destiny isn't something you're born with, it's something you make!" she looked into the glowing orb of light. Xiba widened his eyes, frightened, "And now…" she slowly lifted her hands, "Now…" Xiba flinched and leapt back, "It's time to fulfill MINE!" She pressed the light against her breast as her heart absorbed the Evil Seed and tangled itself into her veins, ripping her mind apart into shreds.

An inhuman wail was let out as she cried in pain, grabbing her head. Xiba held his arm over his mouth, disgusted, her flesh turned a bright red as all the veins in her body throbbed and pulsated. He slowly staggered away from the creature. Jan continued to cry out as her self-fulfilled 'destiny' led to her demise. Her blood curdling scream was the last he would hear of Jan, as the wild boy watched her body combust into flames and be overtaken by a matter of flesh and armor as it created something not quite like anything he'd ever seen.

The armor and flesh manifested itself into a knight with a demonic, clawed arm. The Evil Seed took the form of Nightmare… its true manifestation, brought back to life by the wicked Rogue. Xiba stood appalled and speechless as he scanned the dark entity. The evil stung his flesh. As the being stretched itself and looked around, it saw his first opponent.

"So…" it breathed, "You are what threatens my existence?" Nightmare grumbled unintelligibly. Xiba quickly got back into a stance, horrified by the being, "A pathetic child like you?" it mocked. Xiba gritted his teeth.

"I'm not a child!" his heart was pounding, "You better back off! I show NO MERCY!" Nightmare sensed the fear in the warrior's copper eyes. While they appeared angry, he could smell the fear… he could taste it.

"You talk big for a boy of your size," he mocked his short stature, ignoring his masculinity, "and of your age… humph, you think an old, iron stick is a match against me?" From seemingly out of nowhere, he hefted a large, fleshy, demonic blade, malleable to whomever held it. He stared at the iconoclastic boy, unafraid of the knight, horrified of the weapon.

Xiba stretched his leg out and lowered his body, preparing, "You're not getting away!" he yelled. Meanwhile, Kilik was within the rebellion of the Ling-Sheng Su warriors, the fires were put out, though the embers still fluttered about like insects.

"Don't stop!" he cried out, encouraging the men not to give up, inspired by his own son's bravery. The men boldly slashed and beat into their antagonists, even if they lost, they'd go down putting up one hell of a fight. Kilik worried for Xiba, unsure of his whereabouts. But he couldn't worry, he had to trust him!

"Humph, that talk you had of destiny… you only exist so that I may slaughter you!"

Xiba wore the long gold jacket that while torn, had a phoenix painted on the back. He remembered his father's words, the phoenix represented renewal, the sun, a new beginning… with his boot scraping into the cobblestone grounds, the Washu inhaled, "I won't lose." He exclaimed. Eager to slice the boy in half, Nightmare rushed towards him with his sword. Panicking, Xiba jumped out of danger and grabbed him from behind. "HA!" He yelled, lunging himself off of Nightmare's back and throwing the rod into his central spine, or whatever it was that held him up.

Catching Kali Yuga, the wild boy staggered backwards, realizing he'd just flawlessly performed Phoenix Pounce, a throw he'd been struggling to learn for years. Perhaps this was because he was running on pure adrenaline. At least he'd started with a bang, but the pure horror in his heart may hinder his fighting. Nightmare, immediately back on his feet rushed towards him. Xiba barely blocked each of his slices, being knocked backward each time. He leapt backward, giving himself some distance and attacked from below, thrusting his rod forward towards the creature's feet.

The red-haired boy hatched that if he could just get the knight below him, or at least his own height, he stood a chance. As Xiba rose he performed Pounding Stones, slamming his rod into the ground right and left, increasing the momentum in doing so, thus the force of the hit. Nightmare unfortunately blocked it and seized the opportunity, grabbing Xiba by the throat, "You little bastard!" he threw the teenager into the ground opposite of his direction, crushing his lungs. Xiba heaved, trying to get some air in. If that didn't work, then surely the punch to the gut would, as Nightmare blew into the man's abdomen.

Barely on the brink of consciousness, Xiba could see an oversized blade coming towards him, "AGH!" he rolled out of the way frantically, trying to maintain his hold of the rod. Then it came again, not even giving the wild boy a chance to get on his feet.

"DAMN YOU!" The knight shouted as Xiba rolled back the other way once again in panic. His next trick, Rising Flare, would save him, as the monkey boy lightning twirled to his feet, knocking the knight away in the process. Distance! He screamed in his head, keep your distance! Nightmare had a lengthy sword as well, but the weight of it required a close range hit. Xiba had to use that to his advantage. Quickly thinking, he let the disoriented creature lunge towards him again, as Xiba then spun his rod, Phoenix Spring, to his adjacent left and rights, creating a sort of force field while striking the opponent. Nightmare was untouched by this as he went in for the kill.

He'd sliced Xiba's side open. Grunting with both shock and pain, he grabbed at it, trying to stop the bleeding. But that left him open for attack as Nightmare leaped into the air, ready to slice him into two. This was it… he'd run out of options, **"NO!"** he held up Kali Yuga as his useless shield, shutting his eyes… but when Nightmare stuck it, a beam of energy sent him away as the weapon began to glow. The light alerted the remaining Rogues and villagers, who's fighting ceased at the sudden light. Kilik didn't know where the light was coming from, or what it meant, but he panicked when he knew who was involved.

"Whoa, what is that?"

"What in the world?"

The others were chattering, but Kilik lost control, "XIBA!"

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Not sure if he was dead or alive, Xiba opened his eyes slowly. Still stiffly holding out Kali Yuga for protection. It was glowing a bright orange… it glowed with the purity of the boy's soul. No evil could surpass the weapon any more… not without the wielder's will. Aghast, appalled, the red-haired boy stumbled backward, had _he_ done that? Did Kali Yuga have a will of its own? No matter the cost, he was still alive. The abrasion on his side even slowly healed into a scar. Only a human with a pure soul could obtain the Kali Yuga's protection and power… Edge Master had said so.

In hilarity, Xiba chuckled from the sudden miracle… it was like his… _destiny_ had interfered… his moment was interrupted when Nightmare was struggling to stand up. He was more malicious than before. But Xiba was angry now. But the monkey boy had to think… the knight was just a manifestation of the Evil Seed… if he absorbed the power from within, maybe he would cease… but in doing that, he'd need a medium to contain it.

He then looked at the staff, glowing majestically in his hands…

The Kali Yuga was his last hope of capturing the Evil Seed once again… but what if it took him over? What if he would cease to exist?

"Xiba!" a voice chimed into the plotting, Kilik had rushed over from the ambush only to find his son at the mercy of a large, azure knight. Xiba panicked.  
"DAD!" He could feel the presence getting stronger, "DON'T MOVE!" the 16 year old commanded. He wasn't about to put his father's life on the line, the Washu then cried out with shock as he barely blocked the creature's blow in time. Being forced to lean backward, Xiba swerved his staff and forced Nightmare away.

"Xiba…"

Xiba heaved in and out… his body was growing weaker, more tired by the moment… that's when he noticed something… the sun had slowly started to rise over the horizon. The night was coming to an end… he admired it for just a moment. For this may be the last time he'd get to admire the glorious start of a new day.

"UGH!" Nightmare grunted with animosity, ready for the kill. Xiba had made up his mind… he thought of Edge Master.

"Master… I know I said I don't believe in fate…" he prepared himself, "I know I said a lot of things I didn't know what they meant… but this time I'm sure of it… I'm sure that fate isn't written for us…" Nightmare ran towards him, Kilik dropped his jaw with terror, "We write our own destinies…" His eyes glowed with flames, he launched Nightmare into the air with Kali Yuga and kicked him three times…

It was Kong's Dance of Qi Tian Da Sheng. He then slammed the opponent into the ground, causing the spirit of the Evil Seed to plunge from its abdomen, Xiba took the opportunity, eyes wide with sudden realization and slammed Kali Yuga to the ground. Light swarmed around the boy… the Evil Seed rushed into the staff as winds surrounded the wild monkey boy. It was like a cyclone of demonic power… he clenched the rod tightly, clenching onto whatever goodness his soul could grip onto… it was overwhelming… his heart rattled and rattled against its cage, alerting Xiba that this was cutting it close…

But it didn't matter… all that mattered was keeping his loved ones safe… the town standing… to stay true to his soul… to carry out his beliefs that humans can write out their own fates… he was doing so right now.

Xiba leaned his head back and closed his eyes… time refused to move around him, unaware of the lightning speed of the dark energy around him… of the sun's rising into the sky.

_Xiba…_

He heard a familiar voice that drew a smile on his lips.

_I've never been more proud of you…_

A single tear ran down from his shut eyes… he knew this would be the last time he'd be hearing anything… his heart's pounding became fainter and fainter. He saw Lea's smiling face, his father walking with him through the towns… the Ling-Sheng Su Temple at ease. If he could cling onto his father's embrace one last time… he would accept his coming doom… Kilik could barely see past the swarming light… but amidst the rising sun's light could he see…

A heroic young man, wearing a long, torn golden jacket with long pants tucked into his boots… with messy red hair that he hated brushing… but that was fine… because that young man… was his son.

Tears crawled down the swordsman's cheeks… he smiled, "My son…" the light firing into the Kali Yuga suddenly flared, causing the Washu to flinch. That couldn't be good! "Xiba?!" the teenager was struggling, if he let go, the Evil Seed wouldn't be absorbed, and it could run free. But something no longer felt right within his body. He yelped out in pain. "XIBA!" without hesitation, Kilik hopped over the rubble and in front of his son, grabbing hold of the Kali Yuga. Xiba's hands were cemented to it, desperate to be rid of the cursed energy.

"YOU HAVE TO LET GO!" He screamed over the roaring winds, but his voice was mute to his son. He saw his father in front of him, but there was no use in letting go, he feared what would happen! Xiba seemed to be out of his body, for his knuckles were white; they were clinging to the rod so tightly. Kilik was losing ground, struggling to get his son's grip to loosen. Finally, with a loud boom, energy sent the two away from the rod as it collapsed to the cobblestone grounds… its metal shined underneath the newly risen sun. Everyone, even the disillusioned Rogues stared… the evil entity that lured them to the temple had vanished. They were confused and puzzled.

The fighting villagers were stunned, "It came from over there!" Su called out, leading them and rushing over to the main town center. A circle of smoked ash surrounded the abandoned Kali Yuga, steaming with the Evil Seed. When they arrived, they heard Kilik's groan, having been slammed into a wall.

Holding his head with one hand and pushing himself back up with another, he focused his vision, dizzy from slamming against the brick building. Wang Fe stepped closer to the weapon, "Isn't that the Kali Yuga?" the former students glanced at the burning rod curiously. When she went to approach it, the man's voice startled her.

"Don't touch it!" he commanded, unaware of what consequences would follow if it fell into the wrong hands once more, "Don't touch it… it's tainted!" he caught his breath, "Where's Xiba?" he looked around frantically; he heard a yelp of worry from ahead. The crowd scattered when a monk found the crimson-haired warrior, having landed heavily on his side with bruises and cuts. He didn't react when the man turned him onto his back. Kilik shoved the others out of the way, "MOVE!" he cried out, immediately kneeling at his boy's side, cradling him, "XIBA?!"

He couldn't tell if he was breathing or not, but his eyes were gently closed, his flesh bruised and battered. Kilik lifted his head, "Xiba!" he continuously swiped his wild, stubborn bangs aside, "Xiba wake up!" he begged, the villagers, in small groups, began to ponder, or mourn, "Come on Xiba. I know you're stronger than this so please!" he begged, "Please answer me!" the father kept the boy's head in his hand once more, lovingly ruffling his hair in anticipation of a gasp, a stir, anything. And like he'd predicted, his strong young man's chest puffed up as a small cough formed.

Opening his bright brown eyes, barely, Xiba coughed up the dust in his lungs. Too weak to move or talk, Kilik held the fragile Washu in his arms, "Xiba!" he embraced him underneath the new, bright, enlightened sun, "Xiba…"


	22. Ling-Sheng Su Master

Xiba dreamed a dream. He was in a deep, unanticipated slumber during said dream. It was vivid and undeniably unique from any other dream he'd had. The wild boy was dreaming that the Ling-Sheng Su Temple trained dragons. Not even sure where he came from, or what had happened before in his life, Xiba related to one particular dragon that was often abused and beaten by the monks. The students learned to fight with and ride the dragons, but whenever they weren't being used, they were chained up in a dark chamber all night and fed scarcely.

Xiba was sick of the constraining rules of the temple in his dream, not even having any specific rules in mind, but after he broke the chain on the abused dragon, he clung on for dear life and they fled. He could feel the cool winds, his stomach drop as the dragon would do occasional nose dives and swerve its body around the rocks and rubble around them. They left to see China… his subconscious created vivid depictions of the world, from volcanoes that would morph into snow-covered mountains and shore-lines of beaches. It was lengthy… as the dream would loop itself from after escaping, to just before Xiba broke the poor creature free.

But no matter how many times, each time Xiba was on the dragon's back, he'd never felt more of a rush in his life… he'd never felt more free than ever. When the vision finally darkened, the wild boy blinked his heavy eyes. Not quite sure where he was, the sun's light filtered through the small window over his bed. He could hear birds chirping. He was lied down on his back with his arms over his stomach, a few small bandages over his cuts.

Where am I? He wondered, sitting up. Xiba had never felt more lethargic in his life… what had happened? Before he could think about the amazing dream he'd just had, what had happened? Gauze were wrapped around his abdomen, the wound caused by Nightmare had reopened with his hard landing. Xiba then recognized the place, his own bedroom. He pushed the bangs from his eyes as they blended in with the rest of his messy bed head. The torn, ash covered golden jacket had been tossed aside when he was being bandaged, yet he still wore the long pants and belt. The clothing no longer shamed him for killing Xiuqiang… but he'd rather wear something else.

He changed into his usual wildling attire, with his favorite open, black top and yellow trousers. Xiba didn't bother with any shoes… he liked the feeling of the cool ground underneath his feet. He put on Xianglian's old anklet… then he remembered one other accessory that still lied near the wall, with the string broken. Xiba picked up the beaded pendant and stared at it for a moment… this was no longer a memento of his mother… but a gift from Edge Master. He tied the string around his neck and stepped outside of his room.

"Dad?" he called out. His voice was hoarse and sore. The monkey boy cleared his throat, "Dad?!" that was better, "You home?" he had to be! He'd been lying unconscious for hours! At least he thought… then he heard a muffled voice from outside the front door. As Xiba passed through the living room, he looked up. The hole had been covered by a thick blanket supported by wood. Xiba slid open the door, "Dad?" he saw his father conversing with another monk, who was surprised to see the boy behind him. Kilik, after realizing the source of the voice, turned around.

"Xiba!" he stepped in and shut the door, "Are you alright?" he caressed his cheek where there was a small cut, "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." He reassured, "Is it finally over?" the red-haired boy finally asked. Kilik hugged him gently.

"Yes… but there's one final thing we have to discuss," he opened the door, and in front of him, Xiba was greeted by the Ling-Sheng Su Temple. They immediately slammed a fist into their palms and bowed. Xiba quickly did as well.

"Who are we bowing for?!" he whispered to his father, who was bowing as well.

"You, stupid!" one of his former classmates called out and joked… but bowing to him? Xiba slowly rose, stunned. Even his old teacher and monks were kneeling at his side. He looked at the crowd of his people… he'd saved them… he'd truly saved them… but Xiba didn't feel the need to be glorified for it. Over the past events of time, Xiba had gone from monkey boy, to the éclat of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple…

"Xiba!" A small child, the one he'd inspired just the night before came running towards him. He pressed his cheek into Xiba's midsection, hugging around his waist, "You saved us!" the boy didn't even know him, yet he already idolized the young man. Smirking at the cute gesture, Xiba gently held his head, ruffling his hair. The crowd chattered about him… the Washu wasn't too sure if he liked this attention or not.

"Qian!" the boy's mother called, picking him up and carrying him off, "Come here you!"

"XIBA!" a voice beckoned him from the crowd. Xiba's eyes were like an owls as he knew that voice, it called his name again, sounding closer. He saw Lea pushing her way through the crowd.

"Lea!" he smiled, overjoyed that she was within arm's reach… then in his arms.

"Xiba…" they held each other tightly, she clawed into his back unknowingly, "Don't ever scare me like that again!" she pressed her cheek into his shoulder as Xiba snickered. He'd had his eyes closed as he relaxed his head onto hers… but when he opened them, an old rival with a cast around his arm was in front of the two.

"Hey monkey boy…" Fang Dao began with his usual cynicism. And then, a never before seen grin of approval formed on his face, "Great job out there." The crowd began to disassemble, ending with Fang Dao leaving the parameters of the front door. Xiba then pulled away from Lea, gently lifting her chin. The two slowly pulled in closer and locked their lips onto one another. The beautiful contact of the two put them in their own little world… as when Xiba opened his eyes back up, he retracted rapidly.

Kilik was watching, with a raised brow and a grin. His arms were folded. Xiba blushed and Lea giggled, "Uh… dad, could you…" Kilik laughed.

"I got it." He entered the house, respecting the two's privacy. But that was only the start of Xiba's long day.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Xiba was called in by the other monks for a meeting; his father came along with him. They sat in the main dojo where Kong Xiuqiang once reigned. The blood on the walls had been wiped clean. That place no longer held dark memories for the wild boy rather… just numbness. The mentors were huddled, conversing the situation before informing it to Xiba.

"Xiba… your noble deed deserves great acknowledgement…" his old teacher began, "You not only saved the temple from destruction, but caused the disbandment of the Rogues." Xiba winced.

"We have to make sure it stays that way… where's the Kali Yuga?"

"Still in the town center; no one is to touch it except for you." The boy nodded, but then a second monk spoke.

"Xiba… we place the Ling-Sheng Su Temple's fate into your hands. We want you to be our leader… our guidance to peace." Kilik could see his son's stressed response. He raised a hand.

"Remember sir, he's only 16."

"Yes, a 16 year old who nearly sacrificed his life for his village." He smiled, "Which is why he earned such a privilege.

Privilege? Xiba stood up, "So that means I don't _have _to be the temple's leader?" the monk wavered a hand.

"No. But one thing's for sure, whatever decision or movement we make of the temple, we will leave up to you."

…

Xiba's eyes lit up with realization… holding his mouth slightly agape he realized this was at last his chance… his chance to see China, maybe even the world one day… but for now, this was his first step. But the wild boy didn't want to have this experience alone… he paused.

Kilik wondered what his son could be thinking, after a solid three minutes of silence, Xiba spoke, "I want the temple to expand…" he nodded, "And I don't mean we have to build onto it… I want us to leave this small mountain and go places." He broadly stated, "I want the people to have a chance to see the world, for the kids to grow up not being stuck here." His father jerked up to his feet.

"Xiba! That's a big move!" He warned.

"Do you mean this is an order?" His old teacher asked. But Xiba shook his head.

"No… I want to have a meeting with the villagers… only if they want this too do I want it." He admitted… The staff-fighter already knew from Edge Master that a good leader was fair and understanding. His old mentor nodded.

"Alright, that can be done…" there was a brief pause, "But… about the Kali Yuga…" Xiba was taken into the town square where the last remaining treasure was untouched. It was surrounded by a circle of black charred grounds from the energy beam. Smoke had stopped drifting from it, but that didn't mean it was safe. With his father and a few other citizens behind him, the barefoot monkey boy stepped forward.

Kilik wanted to warn him to be careful, but he had to remind himself that Xiba didn't need those small warnings anymore. The spiky haired warrior stared intensely at the Kali Yuga… no strange voices or entities from what he could feel, but when he grabbed it…

Nothing.

Xiba picked it up with both arms; the Evil Seed had fallen silent within the rod as long as no one with an impure spirit touched it. Relieved, the citizens, all but Kilik, went back to their daily routines… but he saw an unnerved look in his son's eyes. He approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Xiba?"

"There's only one way to make sure the Rogues _never _come back!" he declared… the next thing Kilik knew, he was next to his son at the brink of the river they'd plunged into just days ago. With a forceful grunt, Xiba heaved the staff across the cliff as it clamped once against the rocks and fell and fell into the rapids below… the trinity treasures were no more. Panting heavily, his body and mind still taking in that the troubles were over, Xiba sighed… letting go of his troubled emotions. His father eyed him closely.

"So… what do we do now?" he asked his new leader.

"I don't know…" he admitted, "I guess we'll just play by ear." He said. Kilik grinned, patting the wild boy's shoulder once more.

"Hey son…" he got his attention, "I know you hear me say this a lot but…" his eyes glowed with sincerity, "I've never been more proud of you." Xiba's fawn eyes glowed in the sunlight, he smiled.

"Thanks dad."

After a brief side-hug, Kilik ruffled the boy's wild hair, attempting to mess it up even more than it possibly could be, causing Xiba to attempt to retaliate and playfully push against his father. But in that moment, everything would change one final time. It was settled that the villagers were given the chance to leave and return to the temple as they pleased. The laws had been changed as the gates, though guarded, were left wide open. New people even came in… the population expanded… families grew. True families, not orphans given to a foster parent.

The children weren't forced to train, and even if they chose to, the courses were less grueling and outdoor trips were given. That way the children always had a chance to see the world. Kilik was one of the head mentors… now proudly in Edge Masters place. As for the cause of all the progress and change, their leader, Xiba could either be found among his peers casually, or out exploring the mountain ranges and gazing off into what lied ahead of him.

Currently, at this very moment, the wildling stood at the brink of a new mountain range he'd never ventured before. The winds blew against his red messy hair and his pendant rattled against the breeze. He walked around barefoot just the way he liked it… at his side, Lea, with her dark brown ponytail, wearing his old crescent moon necklace had joined him on the adventure. Exhilarated by the day's progress, they shared a passionate kiss among the sunrise, as their new beginning started…

As the phoenix rised…


End file.
